''Eulagisca'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of marine

polychaete Polychaeta () is a paraphyletic class of generally marine Annelid, annelid worms, common name, commonly called bristle worms or polychaetes (). Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia that bear many bristles, called c ...

worms belonging to the family

Polynoidae Polynoidae is a family (biology), family of marine Polychaete worms known as "scale worms" due to the scale-like elytron (Annelida), elytra on the dorsal surface. Almost 900 species are currently recognised belonging to 9 subfamilies and 167 gen ...

. The genus includes 5 species which are all found in the Southern and Antarctic Oceans and are notable for reaching a large size - 180 mm or more long - larger than any other species of Polynoidae.Pettibone, Marian H. 1997. Revision of the scaleworm genus ''Eulagisca'' McIntosh (Polychaeta: Polynoidae) with the erection of the subfamily Eulagiscinae and the new genus ''Pareulagisca''. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 110(4): 537–551

Description

Species of ''Eulagisca'' have 35–41 segments and 15 pairs of

elytra An elytron (; ; : elytra, ) is a modified, hardened forewing of beetles (Coleoptera), though a few of the true bugs (Hemiptera) such as the family Schizopteridae are extremely similar; in true bugs, the forewings are called hemelytra (sometime ...

. The lateral antennae are undivided and inserted terminally on the prostomium . There is a distinctive dorsal fold ("nuchal flap" in the taxonomic literature) on segment 2, and unlike the related genus ''Pareulagisca'', in ''Eulagisca'' all

notochaetae A chaeta or cheta (; ) is a chitinous bristle or seta found on annelid worms, although the term is also frequently used to describe similar structures in other invertebrates such as arthropods. Polychaete annelids (''polychaeta'' literally mean ...

are stout and have blunt tips.

Species

Five species of ''Eulagisca'' are recognised as of August 2020: *'' Eulagisca corrientis'' McIntosh, 1885 *''

Eulagisca gigantea ''Eulagisca gigantea'' is a species of Polynoidae, scale worm commonly known as the Antarctic scale worm. This species is specifically found in the deep sea in cold waters like the Southern Ocean, Antarctic Ocean. The scale worms are named for t ...

'' Monro, 1939 *'' Eulagisca macnabi'' Pettibone, 1997 *'' Eulagisca puschkini'' Averincev, 1972 *''

Eulagisca uschakovi ''Eulagisca uschakovi'' is a giant scale worm known from the Antarctic, in waters such as off Mac.Robertson Land, Palmer Archipelago and the Weddell Sea, at depths of 10 to 920m. Description Specimens can grow to up to around 190 mm in l ...

'' Pettibone, 1997

References

Phyllodocida {{annelid-stub