About Notaulax occidentalis (Baird, 1865)
Commonly called the yellow fan worm, Notaulax occidentalis (Baird, 1865) constructs a soft tube that it embeds into reef substrate, and the worm itself attaches to this tube. While its body stays hidden inside the tube, the species can be identified by its prominent, fan-shaped plume of feathery yellow tentacles. This plume is used both for suspension feeding and respiration, and it can grow up to 5 centimeters in diameter. Like other members of the sabellid group, N. occidentalis can quickly pull its plume back into the tube when it is disturbed.
