''Phyllodoce maculata'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

Polychaete Polychaeta () is a paraphyletic class of generally marine annelid worms, commonly called bristle worms or polychaetes (). Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia that bear many bristles, called chaetae, which are ...

worm in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Phyllodocidae Phyllodocidae is a family of polychaete worms. Worms in this family live on the seabed and may burrow under the sediment. Characteristics Members of the Phyllodocidae are characterised by an eversible pharynx and leaf-like dorsal cirri. The head ...

. It is native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean where it inhabits shallow water areas of sand, mud and stones.

Description

A monograph of the British marine annelids 1908 XLV

''Phyllodoce maculata'' is an elongated slender worm, tapering slightly towards the posterior. The

prostomium The prostomium (From Ancient Greek, meaning "before the mouth"; plural: prostomia; sometimes also called the "acron") is the cephalized first body segment in an annelid worm's body at the anterior end. It is in front of (but does not include) th ...

(head) bears a pair of antennae, a pair of eyes, two small palps and a large eversible proboscis. The first few body segments bear four pairs of long, tentacular cirri. Other body segments bear parapodia with flattened cirri, the dorsal ones being heart-shaped and conspicuous. The prostomium, the first body segment (which cannot be seen from above) and the second segment are colourless, the third and fourth segments are dark, and the fifth and remaining segments have dark spots centred on the overlap of the segments, as well as some dark colour at the side of the segments. The posterior of the prostomium has some yellow colouring, and there are yellow spots between the dark spots on the dorsal surface of the body. This worm can have as many as 250 segments and be up to long.

Distribution and habitat

This worm can be confused with other species, particularly the closely related '' Phyllodoce mucosa'', so its precise range is unclear; it is present in the Arctic and North Atlantic Oceans, the

Skagerrak The Skagerrak (, , ) is a strait running between the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, the southeast coast of Norway and the west coast of Sweden, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea area through the Danish Straits to the Baltic Sea. T ...

and

Kattegat The Kattegat (; sv, Kattegatt ) is a sea area bounded by the Jutlandic peninsula in the west, the Danish Straits islands of Denmark and the Baltic Sea to the south and the provinces of Bohuslän, Västergötland, Halland and Skåne in S ...

, the western

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and fr ...

, the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

and the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" ( Cotentinais) or (Jèrriais), ( Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kan ...

. Its depth range is from the

intertidal zone The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various species ...

down to about , and it is found on sand, muddy-sand, shelly gravel and rock bottoms.

Biology

''Phyllodoce maculata'' is a predator and scavenger, feeding on invertebrate prey and the bodies of small dead animals. During breeding, several males may sometimes be seen swarming around a female on the sediment surface, and the greenish, gelatinous egg masses produced are attached to stones or other underwater objects.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3654783 Phyllodocida Animals described in 1767 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus