Biodiversity & Conservation

A catworm - Nephtys hombergii - General information

A catworm

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Distribution map

Nephtys hombergii recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

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Nephtys hombergii is not listed under any importance categories.

General information

Key Icon Researched by: Georgina Budd and Joelene Hughes Text page icon Refereed by: This information is not refereed.

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 Found throughout Britain and Ireland.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Nephtys hombergii lives infaunally in muddy sand in the intertidal and shallow sublittoral. It may also be found amongst gravel, rocks, and occasionally in Zostera beds.
Text page icon Description Nephtys hombergii is a relatively thin, smooth, segmented (90-200) worm up to 10-20 cm in length. Its head is small with four small antennae. It has a prominent, papillated proboscis which it uses to dig in to the sediment. Its body is rectangular when viewed in cross section but, may appear flattened (when viewed from above) owing to bristled lobes (parapods) that extend sidewards from the body. Typically it is a pearly white colour and chaetae (bristles on parapods) are golden. A long single tail-filament trails from its rear end. Nephtys hombergii is an active worm that demonstrates the characteristic swimming motion (a rapid lateral wriggling, starting from the rear and increasing in amplitude towards the head) of the Nephtyidae.

This review can be cited as follows:

Georgina Budd and Joelene Hughes 2005. Nephtys hombergii. A catworm. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 19/05/2013]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesfullreview.php?speciesID=3897>