Biodiversity & Conservation

A catworm - Nephtys incisa

A catworm

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Distribution map

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

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Nephtys incisa is not listed under any importance categories.

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy Taxon English term
Phylum Annelida Segmented worms e.g. ragworms, tubeworms & fanworms
Class Polychaeta Bristleworms, e.g. ragworms, scaleworms, paddleworms, fanworms and tubeworms
Authority Malmgren, 1865
Recent synonyms None
Map icon Recorded Distribution in Britain and Ireland See additional information.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Nephtys incisa occurs in sediments ranging from gravel and mud to soft silt, but most commonly in silty sand or mud substrata. It can be found from shallow to deep water.
Text page icon Description Nephtys incisa has a body measuring from 2.5-6.5 cm in length, divided into between 60 and 70 segments. When viewed in cross-section, the body appears rectangular. It has a prominent proboscis (feeding end of digestive tract) with numerous but very small papillae, except the mid-dorsal papilla, which is very large.
Identifying features
  • Body with 60-70 segments, from 2.5 -6.5 cm long, and is rectangular in cross-section.
  • Numerous papillae on proboscis, one of which is very large (mid-dorsal).
  • The chaetae (bristles) in the posterior parapods (lateral appendages of the trunk segments) are finely toothed, and none are sharply bent.
  • The dorsal branch of the parapodium (notopod) is very well separated from the ventral branch of parapodium (neuropod).
Additional information icon Additional information Once the genus has been identified, it is not too difficult to identify individual species. However, mistakes can easily be made due to varying body length, and comparisons should be made on distinct fractions of the bodies (see Fauchald, 1977 for details).

This review can be cited as follows:

Edward Mayhew 2005. Nephtys incisa. A catworm. 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/speciesinformation.php?speciesID=3898>