Red Tubeworm

Scientific name : Serpula vermicularis

Small annelid, it produces a calcareous tubes and it lives in it; the gills are pink or red, short, and they create a semi-circular crown around the mouth. Inside the crown it is possible to find the operculum, a conical structure used by the animal to seal the tube when it is retracted in it.
The tube, white in colour, is usually covered by other organisms, and it is difficult to be seen.
Abundant in dark areas, it encrusts rocks or shells of molluscs.
If approached, the animal quickly retract itself inside the tube.