''Phyllodoce lineata'' is a species of polychaete worm in the family Phyllodocidae. It is native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea where it occurs in the intertidal and shallow sub-tidal zones on soft sediment.

Description

This is a multi-segmented worm of variable length, a worm with 300 segments being about long. The prostomium is roughly pentagonal. Like other members of the genus, the prostomium bears two pairs of antennae, a pair of eyes and a pair of large, retractile,

nuchal The nape is the back of the neck. In technical anatomical/medical terminology, the nape is also called the nucha (from the Medieval Latin rendering of the Arabic , "spinal marrow"). The corresponding adjective is ''nuchal'', as in the term ''nu ...

organs. The proboscis is eversible and is divided into two distinct parts. The

proximal Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position pro ...

part of the proboscis bears about 25 longitudinal rows of tiny papillae, and the

distal Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position pro ...

part bears 6 longitudinal rows of larger, knob-like protuberances, and a ring of papillae at the tip. The body is elongated and of even width, apart from a tapering tip. Long tentacle-like

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 ...

are borne on the first 7 body segments, and fleshy paddle-like parapodia are borne on the remainder. The eyes are red and there is some dark pigmentation in front of them and along the sides of the body.

Distribution

''Phyllodoce lineata'' occurs in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, its range including the North Sea, the west coast of Scotland and Ireland, the Bay of Biscay, the Iberian peninsula and the Mediterranean Sea. It is found in the intertidal and shallow sub-tidal zones on sandy and muddy substrates.

Ecology

A predator and

scavenger Scavengers are animals that consume dead organisms that have died from causes other than predation or have been killed by other predators. While scavenging generally refers to carnivores feeding on carrion, it is also a herbivorous feeding b ...

, ''P. lineata'' feeds mostly on other polychaete worms. The sexes are separate and fertilisation is external. Eggs typically hatch into trochophore larvae, which are planktonic, and when sufficiently developed, undergo

metamorphosis Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops including birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation. Some inse ...

into segmented juveniles.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2364628 Polychaetes Fauna of the Atlantic Ocean Fauna of the Mediterranean Sea Animals described in 1870