E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Wildlife of British Columbia

Abarenicola pacifica Healy & Wells, 1959
Pacific Lugworm
Family: Arenicolidae

Distribution of Abarenicola pacifica in British Columbia

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Introduction

The Pacific or common lugworm species in British Columbia is Abarenicola pacifica. Its name apparently derives from a German/Dutch "lug/log" meaning "slow, heavy, clumsy", perhaps referring to its clumpy appearance and quiescent behaviour after being dug up. It spends its life in a U-shaped burrow in sand/mud flats feeding from the front end of its burrow where it creates a shallow "puddled" depression in the sand, and defecating from the back end of its burrow to form characteristically ropey, fecal deposits. Densities in a population may reach over 1000 individuals per square meter, and consequently bioturbation effects may be great. In fact, by regularly turning over deeper sediments that are often anaerobic (smelling of hydrogen sulphide/rotten eggs), lugworms and other similar bioturbating worms increase the health of the sediments for other infaunal organisms. Research on lugworms has focussed on bioturbation and feeding, and comparatively little is known about their ecological interactions. For more on lugworms see A SNAIL'S ODYSSEY: LEARN ABOUT LUGWORMS & RELATIVES.

Note Author: Tom Carefoot, Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Unlisted	Unlisted	Unlisted	Unlisted

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer--the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Genetic and lineage information (NCBI Taxonomy Browser)

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Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2021. E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Fauna of British Columbia [efauna.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2024-12-07 10:08:10 PM]

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