Biodiversity & Conservation

Ragworm - Hediste diversicolor - General information

Hediste diversicolor

Image Fiona Crouch - Hediste diversicolor at Wembury Point, Devon. Image width ca XX cm.
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Distribution map

Hediste diversicolor recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

Why do the maps differ?

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Hediste diversicolor is not listed under any importance categories.

General information

Key Icon Researched by: Georgina Budd Text page icon Refereed by: Mike Kendall

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 Widespread along all British coasts where suitable habitat and substratum exist.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Inhabits muddy substrata in a more-or-less permanent U or J-shaped burrow that may be up to 20 cm in depth. Also occurs under stones on mud where the burrow is adjacent to the stone. Hediste diversicolor is widespread in brackish water environments throughout north-west Europe.
Text page icon Description Hediste diversicolor is one of the commonest intertidal polychaetes in estuaries. Its body appears flattened with a prominent dorsal blood vessel. Adults may reach 6-12 cm in length and consist of between 90-120 chaetae bearing segments (chaetigers). Appendages on the head are conspicuous consisting of two antennae, and two palps, and four pairs of tentacles. The paired parapodia have dorsal and ventral chaetae and are used for crawling and swimming. The colour of Hediste diversicolor varies. Mature worms become a brighter green approaching and during spawning, otherwise specimens appear to be a reddish orange or brown. There has been considerable controversy over the name to be applied to this species and Nereis diversicolor is used by many authors.

This review can be cited as follows:

Georgina Budd 2008. Hediste diversicolor. Ragworm. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 19/06/2013]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesfullreview.php?speciesID=3470>