A polychaete worm (Amythasides macroglossus)

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

Summary

Description

The body is up to 11 cm long, with a cylindrical thorax that is broader than the abdomen. The head has three lobes, no eyespots, and few thick, smooth tentacles. Each side of segment three has five long, thin chaetae (bristles). The thorax consists of 14 segments. The first three segments have bristles (chaetae) on the upper part of the parapodia (notopodia) and the last eleven segments have bristles on the lower part of the parapodia (neuropodia). The neuropodia possess specialized hook-like structures (uncini) for burrowing. The thoracic bristles have three to six rows of teeth, with up to seven teeth per row, while the abdominal bristles have several rows of teeth. The gills are in two groups, slightly separated at the mid-dorsal, with three gills in each group, arranged in a triangle and connected by a crescent-shaped membrane.

Recorded distribution in Britain and Ireland

Most records present within the North Sea, offshore. Occasional records in the Irish Sea off the coast of the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland.

Global distribution

Found in temperate offshore waters of the North Sea off the coast of Scotland and Norway. Also found in the Arctic waters of northern Norway in the Norwegian Sea, in the Barents Sea, and off the coast of Svalbard. Sparse records in the Skagerrak and the Irish Sea.

Habitat

Offshore circalittoral mixed sediment, ranging from coarse sand, gravel, stone and occasionally silt.

Depth range

30-500 m

Identifying features

  • Cylindrical thorax with rounded abdomen  
  • Five long chaetae on each side of segment three

Additional information

-none-

Listed by

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Further information sources

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Bibliography

  1. De Kluijver, M., Ingalsuo, S., Van Nieuwenhuijzen, A. & Van Zanten, H.V., 2024. Macrobenthos of the North Sea. Vol. II - Keys to Polychaeta. Leiden, Netherlands: Linnaeus NG - Naturalis Biodiversity Center. Accessed [2024-10-23]. Available from https://ns-polychaeta.linnaeus.naturalis.nl/linnaeus_ng/app/views/introduction/topic.php?id=3330&epi=93

  2. Fauchald, K., 1977. The polychaete worms. Definitions and keys to the orders, families and genera. USA: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

  3. Stachowitsch, M., 1992. The invertebrates: an illustrated glossary. USA: Wiley-Liss.

Datasets

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

  2. OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System),  2024. Global map of species distribution using gridded data. Available from: Ocean Biogeographic Information System. www.iobis.org. Accessed: 2024-12-26

Citation

This review can be cited as:

Maleed, M., 2024. Amythasides macroglossus A polychaete worm. In Tyler-Walters H. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Reviews, [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 26-12-2024]. Available from: https://marlin.ac.uk/species/detail/2369

Last Updated: 22/10/2024