Sea bristletail (Petrobius maritimus)

Distribution data supplied by the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS). To interrogate UK data visit the NBN Atlas.Map Help

Summary

Description

Petrobius maritimus are fast-running insects with elongate, tapered, grey mottled coloured bodies up to 1.5 cm long. They have three pairs of legs and a triple forked tail. Individuals have prominent eyes and a short pair of palps on the head set between a further pair of long, bristly antennae of 30 or more segments.

Recorded distribution in Britain and Ireland

Recorded around the coast of Britain but with an absence of records from north east Scotland and the south east of England. No records were found for Ireland. However, this species is likely to be under-recorded.

Global distribution

Common throughout the north east Atlantic region.

Habitat

Found above high water, usually under stones and on screes or in chinks of rock and wood. Occurs inland in several places along the west coast of Britain.

Depth range

-

Identifying features

  • Elongate, tapered body, up to 1.5 cm.
  • Grey coloured body.
  • Triple forked tail.
  • Long, bristly antennae of 30 or more segments.
  • Prominent eyes.

Additional information

Petrobius maritimus, may be confused with Petrobius brevistylis which occurs in the same habitat. The two species can be separated by the sub-coxae of the male. In Petrobius brevistylis the 8th abdominal segment is prolonged into rounded lobes, whereas lobes are absent in Petrobius maritimus.

Listed by

- none -

Further information sources

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Bibliography

  1. Cheng, L. (ed.), 1976. Marine insects. Amsterdam: North-Holland Publishing Company.

  2. Fish, J.D. & Fish, S., 1996. A student's guide to the seashore. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

  3. Hayward, P., Nelson-Smith, T. & Shields, C. 1996. Collins pocket guide. Sea shore of Britain and northern Europe. London: HarperCollins.

  4. Hayward, P.J. & Ryland, J.S. (ed.) 1995b. Handbook of the marine fauna of North-West Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

  5. Howson, C.M. & Picton, B.E., 1997. The species directory of the marine fauna and flora of the British Isles and surrounding seas. Belfast: Ulster Museum. [Ulster Museum publication, no. 276.]

  6. JNCC (Joint Nature Conservation Committee), 1999. Marine Environment Resource Mapping And Information Database (MERMAID): Marine Nature Conservation Review Survey Database. [on-line] http://www.jncc.gov.uk/mermaid

  7. Ruppert, E.E. & Barnes, R.D., 1994. Invertebrate zoology (6th ed.). Fort Worth, USA: Saunders College Publishing.

Datasets

  1. Bristol Regional Environmental Records Centre, 2017. BRERC species records recorded over 15 years ago. Occurrence dataset: https://doi.org/10.15468/h1ln5p accessed via GBIF.org on 2018-09-25.

  2. Bristol Regional Environmental Records Centre, 2017. BRERC species records within last 15 years. Occurrence dataset: https://doi.org/10.15468/vntgox accessed via GBIF.org on 2018-09-25.

  3. Cofnod – North Wales Environmental Information Service, 2018. Miscellaneous records held on the Cofnod database. Occurrence dataset: https://doi.org/10.15468/hcgqsi accessed via GBIF.org on 2018-09-25.

  4. Environmental Records Information Centre North East, 2018. ERIC NE Combined dataset to 2017. Occurrence dataset: http://www.ericnortheast.org.ukl accessed via NBNAtlas.org on 2018-09-38

  5. Fenwick, 2018. Aphotomarine. Occurrence dataset http://www.aphotomarine.com/index.html Accessed via NBNAtlas.org on 2018-10-01

  6. Fife Nature Records Centre, 2018. St Andrews BioBlitz 2015. Occurrence dataset: https://doi.org/10.15468/xtrbvy accessed via GBIF.org on 2018-09-27.

  7. Merseyside BioBank., 2018. Merseyside BioBank (unverified). Occurrence dataset: https://doi.org/10.15468/iou2ld accessed via GBIF.org on 2018-10-01.

  8. NBN (National Biodiversity Network) Atlas. Available from: https://www.nbnatlas.org.

  9. North East Scotland Biological Records Centre, 2017. NE Scotland other invertebrate records 1800-2010. Occurrence dataset: https://doi.org/10.15468/ifjfxz accessed via GBIF.org on 2018-10-01.

  10. OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System),  2025. Global map of species distribution using gridded data. Available from: Ocean Biogeographic Information System. www.iobis.org. Accessed: 2025-05-31

  11. Outer Hebrides Biological Recording, 2018. Invertebrates (except insects), Outer Hebrides. Occurrence dataset: https://doi.org/10.15468/hpavud accessed via GBIF.org on 2018-10-01.

  12. Outer Hebrides Biological Recording., 2018. Insects, Outer Hebrides. Occurrence dataset: https://doi.org/10.15468/lbnrps accessed via GBIF.org on 2018-10-01

  13. South East Wales Biodiversity Records Centre, 2018. SEWBReC Other Insects (South East Wales). Occurrence dataset: https://doi.org/10.15468/echt4p accessed via GBIF.org on 2018-10-02.

  14. South East Wales Biodiversity Records Centre, 2018. Dr Mary Gillham Archive Project. Occurance dataset: http://www.sewbrec.org.uk/ accessed via NBNAtlas.org on 2018-10-02

Citation

This review can be cited as:

Ballerstedt, S. 2008. Petrobius maritimus Sea bristletail. In Tyler-Walters H. and Hiscock K. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Reviews, [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 31-05-2025]. Available from: https://marlin.ac.uk/species/detail/1708

Last Updated: 03/06/2008