I was thinking that number 2 could be an echiuran.

Hi Naidu, i asked Dr Sue Quinnell , who specialises in macrobenthic fauna about the identification of the four specimens.

she wrote: The lower left (4) is definitely a polychaete. The others look like echiurids (spoon worms) (1,2 and 3), that is, they look like single segment worms with an elastic proboscis that they extend from their burrows over the surface to collect food. There is a small probability that one is a sipunculid, but it looks most like an echiurid. I'd need to have it in hand to be certain.

Do you know a macrobenthos specialist to whom you could give the specimens to identify because to confirm the identifications and get them to species level they need to have the specimens in hand?

Thank you very much Luis,

Naidu,SA

Thanks Rhodes

Naidu,SA

Dear Hulsman,

Thank you for your kind help, at present i do not have those specimens which are long back (2 years). when i analyzed benthic samples i took Photos of UN-identified specimens. Once again I thank you and Dr.Sue,

Hi Naidu

ok then you are going to need to do some checking for yourself to determine whether you had sipunculids (peanut worms) or echiurids (spoon worms). They are closely related phyla and used to be classified as annelids in the distant past. Were they common in your samples? and/or how important is their precise identification for your study?

In the samples that we collect from MOreton Bay in SE Queensland Australia, the sipunculids and echiurids are not common. They turn up occasionally in our samples. I exclude them from the analyses and focus on annelids, crustaceans and molluscs to provide information about how impacted the sites are by pollution. I shall leave it in your hands, best of luck.

Dear Naidu

Specimens in Figure 1 and 3 belong to sipunculan worms, A middle fragment shown in Figure 4 seems to be a glycerid polychaete worm. If there are chaetae on body of the specimen in Figure 2 (not seen in the figure), it could be a polychaete worm. If you need help in the identification of the specimens of sipunculans, we could help you.

Kind regards

Melih Ertan ÇINAR

Seems to me like:

1. Sipunculid worms.

2 & 3. Echiurans.

4. A polychaete.

It would be great if you can project the sizes of your specimens in here.

Thank you very much Melish

Thank you Dola

1-3 are Sipuncula, 4 maybe polychaeta...

1-3 could be echiurids , but no. 4 most probably polychaete worm

Dear Dr. Zaleha,

Thank you.