Serpula (fungus) are formed. The strand mycelium of "Serpula", which can be up to 8 mm thick, are invasive and can spread over non-nutritive surfaces to find new food sources, even spreading through pores in stone, brickwork, and cement. After its initial growth period, the fungus can produce the water it needs and can continue growth into dry timber, eventually degrading it to powder—hence the term "dry rot". "S. lacrymans" is the most serious cause of building timber decay in the UK and northern Europe. The "Dictionary of the Fungi" (10th edition, 2008), suggests that the genus contains two species. , the
Serpula Sea. Species of the genus "Serpula" are common on the west coast of North America from Alaska to Baja California, but are rarely if ever found on the east coast of the United States. They are common in Europe and Africa. Like most tube-building polychaetes, worms of the genus "Serpula" are benthic, sedentary suspension feeders. They secrete and inhabit a permanent calcareous tube attached to hard substrata. As they do not travel outside their tubes, these worms do not have any specialized appendages for swimming. Worms of the genus "Serpula" are commonly found attached to submerged rocks, shells, and even