Biodiversity & Conservation

A nemertean worm - Ramphogordius sanguineus

A nemertean worm

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Distribution map

Ramphogordius sanguineus recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

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Ramphogordius sanguineus is not listed under any importance categories.

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy Taxon English term
Phylum Nemertina Ribbon worms
Class Anopla
Authority (J Rathke, 1799)
Recent synonyms Lineus sanguineus
Map icon Recorded Distribution in Britain and Ireland Little is known about its current distribution around Britain and Ireland but it has been sighted at one location of the west coast of Scotland.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Ramphogordius sanguineus is an intertidal species. It is usually found under rocks or embedded in black mud.
Text page icon Description Ramphogordius sanguineus is a moderately-sized free-living nemertean worm that can reach up to 20 cm in length and 3 mm in width. Like all ribbon worms, it is an unsegmented, bilaterally symmetrical ciliated worm with a separate mouth and anus. Ramphogordius sanguineus has longitudinal grooves on opposite sides of its head with four to six eyes on each side and a distinct mouth. When irritated it contracts into tight coils. It has varied but uniform colouring.
Identifying features
  • Up to 20 cm in length.
  • Longitudinal grooves on either side of the head.
  • Four to six eyes arranged regularly relatively far back on the head.
  • No caudal cirrus.
  • Lateral nerves embedded in or external to the body wall.
Additional information icon Additional information Ramphogordius sanguineus can be differentiated from similar species such as Lineus rubens by having its eyes arranged more regularly and further back.

This review can be cited as follows:

Morvan Barnes 2008. Ramphogordius sanguineus. A nemertean worm. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 09/02/2010]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesinformation.php?speciesID=4237>