Acoel Flatworms

On a day without a single photographer, our dive master found dozens of acoel flatworms (Waminoa sp.) covering a colony of bubble coral (Plerogyra sinuosa)at the ever popular City Limits dive site. Less than a centimeter in diameter, these brownish worms are basically flat discs, giving the white vesicles of the bubble coral a spotted appearance.

A number of acoel flatworm species reproduce asexually by fragmentation. They are believed to feed on microscopic flora and fauna trapped in the mucous of their host. We tend to find these strange creatures a couple times each dive season. Paola photographed acoel flatworms on soft coral in this shot taken in Gorontalo last year. John’s photo is from our Shadowlands dive site taken in March.