Galeolaria hystrix is a serpulid worm of the family Serpulidae, endemic to southern Australia and New Zealand.
Ecology They form aggregations that increase local biodiversity, alter sediments, and provide habitat, food, and shelter for many organisms in their ecosystem.
References Annelida.net Miller M & Batt G, Reef and Beach Life of New Zealand, William Collins (New Zealand) Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand 1973 Nelson, K. S., Liddy, M., & Lamare, M. D. (2017). Embryology, larval development, settlement and metamorphosis in the New Zealand Serpulid Polychaete Galeolaria hystrix. Invertebrate Reproduction & Development, 61(4), 207–217. Riedi, M. A., & Smith, A. M. (2015). Tube growth and calcification of two reef-building ecosystem engineers in southern New Zealand: Galeolaria hystrix and Spirobranchus cariniferus (Polychaeta: Serpulidae). Marine Geology, 367, 212–219.