Mediterranean fanworm

Sabella spallanzanii

This pest is in New Zealand. It has been detected in Lyttelton Port. It is an unwanted organism.

If you suspect you have found this in any other location in New Zealand, call 0800 80 99 66.

Mediterranean Fanworm
The actual specimen taken from Lyttelton
Port. Photo: Geoff Read, NIWA

Description

The Mediterranean fanworm is a marine animal that is typically found in estuaries or sheltered sites, found at depths of anywhere between one to 30 metres.

It consists of a tube which is always anchored to a hard surface, topped with a single spiral fan (radiole). The tube is tough and flexible and often muddy in appearance. It can often have other organisms growing on the surface.

Mediterranean fanworms grow up to 40 cm tall. The fans are white, banded with brown and orange, and the central stem is orange.

This particular fanworm looks different to New Zealand native fanworms in that it is larger and it has the single fan. Fanworms with two spiral fans are NOT this pest.

Factsheet (2823 Kb)

Impact

The Mediterranean fanworm (Sabella spallanzanii) can form dense groups that could affect native species by competing for food and space. Recent studies have indicated some impact on the establishment of new generations of some species, and on nutrient flow.

The presence of dense mats of this species could also have an impact on the aesthetics of an area for diving, potentially impacting on dive tourism activities.

While they have not yet been recorded to have had significant impacts on fisheries or aquaculture, there is potential that dense beds could become a nuisance to recreational and commercial fishers through the clogging of dredges and fouling of other fishing gear.