''Leucia nivea'' is a species of polychaete worm, commonly known as a "scale worm", in the family Polynoidae. This species occurs in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

Description

This worm is yellowish with white scales and about long with 41 segments and 16 pairs of elytra. The prostomium bears 3 antennae, with a pair of lateral antennae inserted ventrally (beneath prostomium and the median antenna). The anterior margin of the prostomium has a pair of an acute anterior projections, a pair of palps and two pairs of eyes. The first segment bears one or two chaetae and a pair of tentacular cirri on both the dorsal and ventral surfaces. The notochaetae are distinctly thicker than the neurochaetae. Unidentate and bidentate neurochaetae are present.Chambers SJ (1989) Leucia nivea: a polynoid (Polychaeta) new to the British Isles. Irish Naturalists Journal 23: 145–147.

Taxonomy

This species was first described by the Norwegian zoologist Michael Sars in 1863 as ''Polynoe nivea'' but was later transferred to the genus ''

Leucia ''Leucia'' is a genus of marine polychaete worms belonging to the family Polynoidae, the scaleworms. ''Leucia'' contains 2 species, both found in the northern Atlantic Ocean. This genus is distinguished from the closely related genus ''Harmotho ...

'' which was established for it by the Finnish zoologist

Anders Johan Malmgren Anders Johan Malmgren (21 November 1834 – 14 April 1897) was a Finnish zoologist and government official. Malmgren was a student in Helsinki in 1854, Master primus 1860, PhD 1864, Acting Commissioner of the fisheries in 1865, extraordinary prof ...

in 1867. For a long time this was thought to be a monotypic taxon, but during a revision of the closely related genus ''

Harmothoe ''Harmothoe'' is a genus of marine Polychaete worms belonging to the family ''Polynoidae'' (scale worms). Species of ''Harmothoe'' are found world-wide to depths of at least 5,000 m but are more common in shallower water. Description Bod ...

'', ''Harmothoe violacea'' was reassigned to '' Leucia violacea''.Fiege, Dieter; Barnich, Ruth. (2009). Polynoidae (Annelida: Polychaeta) associated with cold-water coral reefs of the northeast Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. Zoosymposia. 2 : 149–164.

Distribution

''Leucia nivea'' occurs in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea as far north as the Skagerrak, the British Isles, southwards to the Azores and in the Mediterranean Sea. It is found in 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 on sand, shelly gravel, sponges such as '' Desmacidona'' and cold water corals.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2402269 Phyllodocida Animals described in 1863 Fauna of the Atlantic Ocean