Lagoon sand worm
Armandia cirrhosa
The rare, bristly lagoon sandworm is less than 1cm long. It is ribbon-like in appearance and its body is divided into about 26 segments, with a pair of slender short gills on most. Very little is known about the lagoon sandworm.
It has been found at only three places on the south coast of England, which represent the most northerly records for this worm in Europe. The first sighting of this worm was in Hampshire, where a group of about 500 animals were discovered, although this colony appears to have since disappeared. A very small number of lagoon sandworms have also been found at two sites in Dorset.
The lagoon sandworm is thought to prefer to live in gravelly sediment, although it is also found in mud or sand. Worms of this type can swarm up out of the sand into the seawater to spawn, but no one has yet been able to record that behaviour in lagoon sandworms.
Threats to this worm are thought to be loss of its lagoon habitat from natural causes and as a result of reclamation, coastal defence, pollution and sea level rise. Sea level rise, however, may present opportunities for creation of new lagoon habitat where seawater inundates freshwater areas – this might be good news for animals such as the lagoon sandworm.
Brief description of European distribution
The lagoon sandworm has been found at just three sites in Dorset and Hampshire. The south coast of England is thought to represent the northerly limit of its range. In Europe, the sandworm occurs in the Mediterranean region, the Adriatic, around Madeira and the eastern Atlantic coasts
Conservation status / need
UKBAP Priority Species
Protected under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
Nationally rare marine animal
In England, it is a species of principal importance for the purpose of conservation of biodiversity under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006
The coastal lagoons in which the sea slugs can be found are a UKBAP Priority Habitat and are listed in Annex I of the Habitats Directive
Further information sources
Lagoon Sandworm (Armandia cirrhosa)
(UKBAP)
Lagoon sandworm - Armandia cirrhosa (MarLIN)
Armandia cirrhosa (WoRMS)
Interesting fact
The lagoon sandworm has three eyes on its head.
