Sand mason

Lanice conchilega

Other invertebrates
IUCN: Not evaluated

Usual depth0–121 m
Water temperature10–29 °C
Best monthsMay, June, and September
How commonCommon

Photo credit: (c) Timéo Gosciniak, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

About this species

Lanice conchilega, commonly known as the sand mason worm, is a species of burrowing marine polychaete worm. It builds a characteristic tube which projects from the seabed, consisting of cemented sand grains and shell fragments with a fringe at the top.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Lanice conchilega”, 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: 627 records
February: 645 records
March: 1,239 records
April: 2,453 records
May: 3,369 records
June: 2,898 records
July: 2,638 records
August: 2,606 records
September: 2,948 records
October: 1,469 records
November: 724 records
December: 338 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 0–121 m · Deepest record: 1,085 m

0–10 m: 6,034 records
10–20 m: 2,765 records
20–30 m: 1,605 records
30–40 m: 726 records
40–50 m: 356 records
50–60 m: 117 records
60–70 m: 253 records
70–80 m: 365 records
80–90 m: 369 records
90–100 m: 405 records
100–110 m: 570 records
110+ m: 2,688 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 10–29 °C

8–10 °C: 9 records
10–12 °C: 533 records
12–14 °C: 306 records
14–16 °C: 1 records
16–18 °C: 4 records
18–20 °C: 1 records
20–22 °C: 5 records
22–24 °C: 0 records
24–26 °C: 4 records
26–28 °C: 6 records
28–30 °C: 3 records

Photos

(c) Lou Wagstaffe, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Rebekah Bajkó, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist
(c) Ian Creasey, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Valentin Moser, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Julien Renoult, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Lou Wagstaffe, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

Names and classification

English: Sand mason, Sand mason worm, sand mason, Sand Mason, sand mason worm

Names in 3 more languages

German: Bäumchenröhrenwurm, Muschelsammlerin, Sandröhrenwurm
Spanish: gusano albañil
French: lanice, macaroni

Other scientific names: Amphitrite flexuosa, Amphitrite tondi, Lanice conchylega, Nereis conchilega, Terebella artifex, Terebella conchilega, Terebella flexuosa, Terebella littoralis, Terebella pectoralis, Terebella prudens, Wartelia gonotheca

Similar species

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).
59,891 open-data records from 1766 to 2025.
Species data updated November 3, 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