Parchment tubeworm / tube worm

Chaetopterus variopedatus

Other invertebrates
IUCN: Not evaluated

Usual depth7–119 m
Water temperature-1–29 °C
Best monthsJune, August, and September
How commonCommon

Photo credit: (c) Bernard Picton, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

About this species

Chaetopterus variopedatus is a species of parchment worm, a marine polychaete in the family Chaetopteridae. It is found worldwide. However, recent discoveries from molecular phylogeny analysis show that Chaetopterus variopedatus sensu Hartman (1959) is not a single species.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Chaetopterus variopedatus”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

Loading the map

Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 104 records
February: 103 records
March: 305 records
April: 286 records
May: 463 records
June: 563 records
July: 559 records
August: 774 records
September: 624 records
October: 172 records
November: 82 records
December: 57 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 7–119 m · Deepest record: 2,170 m

0–10 m: 502 records
10–20 m: 818 records
20–30 m: 606 records
30–40 m: 218 records
40–50 m: 241 records
50–60 m: 53 records
60–70 m: 31 records
70–80 m: 22 records
80–90 m: 23 records
90–100 m: 18 records
100–110 m: 24 records
110+ m: 368 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of -1–29 °C

-2–0 °C: 1 records
0–2 °C: 0 records
2–4 °C: 0 records
4–6 °C: 23 records
6–8 °C: 6 records
8–10 °C: 49 records
10–12 °C: 565 records
12–14 °C: 162 records
14–16 °C: 12 records
16–18 °C: 23 records
18–20 °C: 9 records
20–22 °C: 7 records
22–24 °C: 8 records
24–26 °C: 5 records
26–28 °C: 2 records
28–30 °C: 1 records

Photos

Names and classification

English: Parchment tubeworm / tube worm, Parchment worm, parchment tubeworm / tube worm, parchment worm, Parchment Worm, Worm

Names in 2 more languages

German: Pergamentwurm
French: grand chétoptère

Other scientific names: Chaetopterus afer, Chaetopterus appendiculatus, Chaetopterus australis, Chaetopterus crosslandi, Chaetopterus hamatus, Chaetopterus insignis, Chaetopterus leuckarti, Chaetopterus longimanus, Chaetopterus quatrefagesii, Chaetopterus valencinii, Chaetopterus varieopedatus, Tricoelia variopedata

Similar species

Phyllochaetopterus awasensis

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
6,278 open-data records from 1804 to 2025.
Species data updated October 26, 2026.

Log what you see on your next dive

The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.

Join the waitlist