Biodiversity & Conservation

A bristleworm - Aphelochaeta marioni - General information

A bristleworm

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Distribution map

Aphelochaeta marioni recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

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Aphelochaeta marioni is not listed under any importance categories.

General information

Key Icon Researched by: Will Rayment Text page icon Refereed by: Dr Peter Gibbs

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy

Phylum Annelida Segmented worms e.g. ragworms, tubeworms & fanworms
Class Polychaeta Bristleworms, e.g. ragworms, scaleworms, paddleworms, fanworms and tubeworms
Map icon Recorded distribution in Britain and Ireland Patchily distributed all around the British coast where suitable substrata exist. Occurs on the south west and south coasts of the Isle of Man and has also been recorded in north east Ireland.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Aphelochaeta marioni lives buried in soft sediments in the intertidal and subtidal. The majority of individuals live in the upper 4 cm of the sediment, with the smaller animals nearer the surface. It is sometimes present in sandy sediments, but predominates in zones of muddy sand or silt, especially in areas where the surface of the sediment consists of diatom ooze. It is occasionally found in the sediment that accumulates in rock crevices or around seaweed holdfasts.
Text page icon Description Aphelochaeta marioni is a thin, thread like, segmented worm. The fifth segment bears a pair of grooved tentacles, or palps, which are used for deposit feeding. The palps, which are tightly coiled when retracted, are approximately equal in length to the body. Numerous filamentous cirri, which act as gills, are arranged in pairs on each of the segments of the anterior half of the body. The bristles (chaetae) are very fine and hair like. Aphelochaeta marioni is reddish-brown in colour and typically between 20 and 35 mm in length, although individuals can reach 100 mm in length.

This review can be cited as follows:

Will Rayment 2007. Aphelochaeta marioni. A bristleworm. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 25/05/2013]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesfullreview.php?speciesID=2560>