Polychaeta |
Terebellida |
Ampharetidae
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Benthic. Polar
Northeast Atlantic: Iceland.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Body short; longest complete specimen (holotype) 12 mm long and 1.0 mm wide. Thorax thicker than abdomen, of about the same length; abdomen of nearly constant width throughout. No eyespots observed. Buccal tentacles with papillae. Four pairs of long branchiae arranged in two groups very close to each other; first three branchiae of each group in a transverse anterior row and the fourth one in a posterior position. Between 13 and 19 short, thick and flat paleae on each side (18 in holotype) gradually but quickly tapering to long filiform tips. Fourteen thoracic chaetigers with well-developed notopodia; the posterior twelve also with neuropodia and uncini. First two thoracic chaetigers with less developed notopodia. Notochaetae forming two rows; slightly flattened with a narrow brim, covered with scales and tapering into slender tips. Thoracic uncini with two vertical rows of 4-6 teeth each above rostrum. Twelve abdominal segments, with decreasing length towards the end; first two abdominal segments with neuropodia of thoracic type. Abdominal uncini with three horizontal rows of 6-8 teeth each above rostrum. Pygidium with a pair of short lateral lobes. Colour in alcohol pale yellow. No tubes observed. In holotype, oocytes visible in body cavity.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Members of the class Polychaeta are mostly gonochoric (sexual). Mating: Females produce a pheromone attracting and signalling the males to shed sperm which in turn stimulates females to shed eggs, this behavior is known as swarming. Gametes are spawned through the metanephridia or body wall rupturing (termed as "epitoky", wherein a pelagic, reproductive individual, "epitoke", is formed from a benthic, nonreproductive individual, "atoke"). After fertilization, most eggs become planktonic; although some are retained in the worm tubes or burrowed in jelly masses attached to the tubes (egg brooders). Life Cycle: Eggs develop into trocophore larva, which later metamorph into juvenile stage (body lengthened), and later develop into adults.
Parapar, J., G.V. Helgason, I. Jirkov and J. Moreira. 2012. (Ref. 96435)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
CITES status (Ref. 108899)
Not Evaluated
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
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