''Lepidonotus squamatus'' is a species of polychaete worm, commonly known as a "scale worm", in the family Polynoidae. This species occurs in both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. It was first described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 as ''Aphrodita squamata'' but was later transferred to the genus ''Lepidonotus''.

Description

The prostomium has two lobes and bears several pairs of antennae, a pair of palps and two pairs of eyes. The dorsal surface of the body, which has uniform width, is completely concealed by two rows of overlapping scales, resembling fish scales. These scales are modified

cirri Giovanni Battista Cirri (1 October 1724 – 11 June 1808) was an Italian cellist and composer in the 18th century. Biography Cirri was born in Forlì in the Emilia-Romagna Region of Italy. He had his first musical training with his brother ...

and are supported on short stalks. They are covered in tubercles of varying sizes, and have a fringe of papillae. This worm has 26 segments and grows to a length of about ; it is some shade of grey, drab brown or yellow, often being covered with mud.

Distribution and habitat

''Lepidonotus squamatus'' occurs in Western Europe, including the North Sea, the Skagerrak, the Kattegat, the Öresund Strait and the western Baltic Sea. It is also present on the eastern seaboard of North America from Labrador southward to New Jersey and on the western seaboard from Alaska to California. It occurs in the littoral zone and the

sublittoral zone The neritic zone (or sublittoral zone) is the relatively shallow part of the ocean above the drop-off of the continental shelf, approximately in depth. From the point of view of marine biology it forms a relatively stable and well-illuminated ...

at depths down to about . Its habitat is typically beneath stones or among tangled growth.

Ecology

Scale worms play a role on the seabed similar to that of isopods (pill bugs or woodlice) on land. They are carnivorous, feeding on

crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the ...

starfish Starfish or sea stars are star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea (). Common usage frequently finds these names being also applied to ophiuroids, which are correctly referred to as brittle stars or basket stars. Starfish ...

, gastropod molluscs and any other small invertebrate they come across. The scales of ''Lepidonotus squamatus'' emit a faint bioluminescent glow. This is a defensive mechanism, because any predator feeding on the worm is likely to acquire some scales which will adhere to its mouthparts; these will make it more visible, alerting its own predators to its whereabouts.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2341842 Phyllodocida Animals described in 1758 Fauna of the Pacific Ocean Fauna of the Atlantic Ocean Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus