Sabellastarte spectabilis

About Sabellastarte spectabilis

Sabellastarte spectabilis is a large tube-dwelling feather-duster worm documented in the cited Kauaʻi nearshore survey sources from 2002–2003. This records historical occurrence and does not establish present abundance or persistence.

Its dense crown has interdigitating radioles with dark and pale brown bands, and it builds a tough sediment-covered mucus tube. Knight-Jones and Mackie’s 2003 revision identifies the Hawaiian material formerly called Sabellastarte sanctijosephi as this species; the nominal Red Sea S.sanctijosephi has a smoother bowl-shaped crown and other diagnostic differences. Later work notes variation within the S.spectabilis concept, so the reconstruction is not a molecular or specimen-level identification. The whole body is shown in an illustrative opened tube; the plate is AI-generated, not an occurrence photograph.