WoRMS taxon details

Ophelia limacina (Rathke, 1843)

130494  (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:130494)

accepted
Species
Ammotrypane limacina Rathke, 1843 · unaccepted (superseded original combination)
Ophelia eruciformis Johnston, 1865 · unaccepted (subjective synonym)
Ophelia taurica Bobretzky, 1881 · unaccepted (subjective synonym)

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marine, brackish, fresh, terrestrial
recent only
(of Ammotrypane limacina Rathke, 1843) Rathke, H. (1843). Beiträge zur Fauna Norwegens. <em>Nova Acta Academiae Caesareae Leopoldino-Carolinae Naturae Curiosorum, Breslau & Bonn.</em> 20: 1-264c., available online at https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.11613
page(s): 190-192, 202-205, plate X figs. 4-8, plate XI fig. 14 [details]  OpenAccess publication 
Type locality contained in Norwegian Exclusive Economic Zone  
type locality contained in Norwegian Exclusive Economic Zone [from synonym] [view taxon] [details]
Description Bristle worm with a short, thick fusiform body up to 55 mm long. The anterior end is cylindrical; the
posterior end is...  
Description Bristle worm with a short, thick fusiform body up to 55 mm long. The anterior end is cylindrical; the
posterior end is characterised by a ventral groove. The head is a simple smooth cone without
appendages, but does have groups of little bristles. The parapodia are in general reduced and bear finger-like gills on the hind part of the body. [details]

Distribution O. limacina is found in the Southern Bight, its distribution extending into the marine and central part of the...  
Distribution O. limacina is found in the Southern Bight, its distribution extending into the marine and central part of the Westerschelde. The polychaete also occurs north of the Wadden islands, at the Cleaver Bank and more offshore at the Dogger Bank, but is absent from the Oyster Ground. [details]

Distribution Ophelia limacina is found on almost the entire Belgian part of the North Sea with a high frequency of occurrence. The...  
Distribution Ophelia limacina is found on almost the entire Belgian part of the North Sea with a high frequency of occurrence. The distribution of the species is only (very) limited in the coastal zone (1976-1986 period) or in the eastern coastal zone (1994-2001 period). The maximum density of O. limacina is > 600 ind./m2 in the 1976-1986 period whereas this amount fell to a maximum of about 150 ind./m2 in the 1994-2001 period. [details]

Distribution Saguenay Fjord, northern Gaspe waters, southern Gaspe waters (Baie des Chaleurs, Gaspe Bay to American, Orphan and Bradelle...  
Distribution Saguenay Fjord, northern Gaspe waters, southern Gaspe waters (Baie des Chaleurs, Gaspe Bay to American, Orphan and Bradelle banks; eastern boundary: Eastern Bradelle Valley), downstream part of middle St. Lawrence estuary, lower St. Lawrence estuary, Prince Edward Island (from the northern tip of Miscou Island, N.B. to Cape Breton Island south of Cheticamp, including the Northumberland Strait and Georges Bay to the Canso Strait causeway); Lower North Shore  [details]
Read, G.; Fauchald, K. (Ed.) (2024). World Polychaeta Database. Ophelia limacina (Rathke, 1843). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=130494 on 2024-03-28
Date
action
by
2004-12-21 15:54:05Z
created
2008-03-26 11:36:43Z
changed

Creative Commons License The webpage text is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License


original description  (of Ophelia eruciformis Johnston, 1865) Johnston, G. (1865). A catalogue of the British non-parasitical worms in the collection of the British Museum. <em>[book].</em> 1-365. British Museum. London. [See also separate entry for Baird supplement]., available online at http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/12291 [details]  OpenAccess publication 

original description  (of Ophelia taurica Bobretzky, 1881) Bobretzky, N. (1881). Dopolnenia k faune Annelid Chernogo morya [Additions/supplement to the annelid fauna of the Black Sea]. <em>Zapiski Kievskago obshchestva estestvoispytateleĭ [Mémoires de la Société des Naturalistes de Kiew].</em> 6(2): 183-212, plates 6 & 7., available online at https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100422735
page(s): 201-203, plate VI fig. 4A-B [details]  OpenAccess publication 

original description  (of Ammotrypane limacina Rathke, 1843) Rathke, H. (1843). Beiträge zur Fauna Norwegens. <em>Nova Acta Academiae Caesareae Leopoldino-Carolinae Naturae Curiosorum, Breslau & Bonn.</em> 20: 1-264c., available online at https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.11613
page(s): 190-192, 202-205, plate X figs. 4-8, plate XI fig. 14 [details]  OpenAccess publication 

context source (Deepsea) Census of Marine Life (2012). SYNDEEP: Towards a first global synthesis of biodiversity, biogeography and ecosystem function in the deep sea. Unpublished data (datasetID: 39), available online at http://www.comlsecretariat.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/SYNDEEP-Towards-a-first-global-synthesis-of-biodiversity-biogeography-and-ecosystem-function-in-the-deep-sea-Eva-Ramirez-Llodra-et-al..pdf [details]   

context source (Schelde) Maris, T.; Beauchard, O.; Van Damme, S.; Van den Bergh, E.; Wijnhoven, S.; Meire, P. (2013). Referentiematrices en Ecotoopoppervlaktes Annex bij de Evaluatiemethodiek Schelde-estuarium Studie naar “Ecotoopoppervlaktes en intactness index”. <em>Monitor Taskforce Publication Series, 2013-01. NIOZ: Yerseke.</em> 35 pp. (look up in IMIS[details]   

context source (BeRMS 2020) Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ); (2013). Data collected during the expeditions of the e-learning projects Expedition Zeeleeuw and Planet Ocean. [details]   

basis of record Bellan, G. (2001). Polychaeta, <i>in</i>: Costello, M.J. <i>et al.</i> (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. <em>Collection Patrimoines Naturels.</em> 50: 214-231. (look up in IMIS[details]   

additional source Brunel, P., L. Bosse & G. Lamarche. (1998). Catalogue of the marine invertebrates of the estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence. <em>Canadian Special Publication of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 126.</em> 405 pp. (look up in IMIS[details]  Available for editors  PDF available [request] 

additional source Muller, Y. (2004). Faune et flore du littoral du Nord, du Pas-de-Calais et de la Belgique: inventaire. [Coastal fauna and flora of the Nord, Pas-de-Calais and Belgium: inventory]. <em>Commission Régionale de Biologie Région Nord Pas-de-Calais: France.</em> 307 pp., available online at http://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/145561.pdf [details]   

additional source Dumitrescu, Elena 1957. Contributti la studi Polichetor din Marea Neagra, litoral rominesc. Bull.Akad.RPRST., Sec.Biol., Ser. Zoology, 9: 119-130. [details]   

additional source Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). , available online at http://www.itis.gov [details]   

additional source Hartmann-Schröder, G. (1996). Annelida, Borstenwürmer, Polychaeta [Annelida, bristleworms, Polychaeta]. <em>2nd revised ed. The fauna of Germany and adjacent seas with their characteristics and ecology, 58. Gustav Fischer: Jena, Germany. ISBN 3-437-35038-2.</em> 648 pp. (look up in IMIS[details]  Available for editors  PDF available [request] 

additional source Malmgren, A.J. (1867). Annulata Polychaeta Spetsbergiæ, Grœnlandiæ, Islandiæ et Scandinaviæ. Hactenus Cognita. Ex Officina Frenckelliana, Helsingforslæ. 127 pp. & XIV plates., available online at http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/13358 [details]   

additional source Liu, J.Y. [Ruiyu] (ed.). (2008). Checklist of marine biota of China seas. <em>China Science Press.</em> 1267 pp. (look up in IMIS[details]  Available for editors  PDF available [request] 

source of synonymy Tebble, Norman 1952. On three species of the genus Ophelia (Polychaeta) from British and adjacent waters. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 5: 553-571. [details]   

source of synonymy Fauvel, P. 1907. Première note préliminaire sur les Polychètes provenant des campagnes de l'Hirondelle et de la Princesse-Alice ou déposées dans le Musée Océanographique de Monaco. Bulletin de l'Institute océanographique, 107: 1-34. [details]   

redescription Jirkov, I.A. (2001). [Polychaeta of the Arctic Ocean] (In Russian) Polikhety severnogo Ledovitogo Okeana. Yanus-K Press, Moscow, 632 pp., available online at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259865957_Jirkov_2001_Polychaeta_of_the_North_Polar_Basin [details]  Available for editors  PDF available [request] 
 
 Present  Present in aphia/obis/gbif/idigbio   Inaccurate  Introduced: alien  Containing type locality 
   

From other sources
Biology Females with ripe eggs have been observed in spring and summer. The planktonic larvae occur in waters with a salinity down to 13%.

O. limacina is a typical non-selective deposit feeder. The lack of food specialisation of adults contrasts sharply with the selectivity of juveniles for certain types of substrate. The species is food for demersal fish (Hartmann-Schröder, 1971; Wolff, 1973; Curtis, 1977; Kirkegaard, 1978; Fauchald & Jumars, 1979). [details]

Description Bristle worm with a short, thick fusiform body up to 55 mm long. The anterior end is cylindrical; the
posterior end is characterised by a ventral groove. The head is a simple smooth cone without
appendages, but does have groups of little bristles. The parapodia are in general reduced and bear finger-like gills on the hind part of the body. [details]

Distribution O. limacina is found in the Southern Bight, its distribution extending into the marine and central part of the Westerschelde. The polychaete also occurs north of the Wadden islands, at the Cleaver Bank and more offshore at the Dogger Bank, but is absent from the Oyster Ground. [details]

Distribution Ophelia limacina is found on almost the entire Belgian part of the North Sea with a high frequency of occurrence. The distribution of the species is only (very) limited in the coastal zone (1976-1986 period) or in the eastern coastal zone (1994-2001 period). The maximum density of O. limacina is > 600 ind./m2 in the 1976-1986 period whereas this amount fell to a maximum of about 150 ind./m2 in the 1994-2001 period. [details]

Distribution Saguenay Fjord, northern Gaspe waters, southern Gaspe waters (Baie des Chaleurs, Gaspe Bay to American, Orphan and Bradelle banks; eastern boundary: Eastern Bradelle Valley), downstream part of middle St. Lawrence estuary, lower St. Lawrence estuary, Prince Edward Island (from the northern tip of Miscou Island, N.B. to Cape Breton Island south of Cheticamp, including the Northumberland Strait and Georges Bay to the Canso Strait causeway); Lower North Shore  [details]

Habitat The species prefers medium to coarse sands mixed with gravel or shell fragments. Muddy sediments seem to be avoided. [details]

Habitat Ophelia limacina has a clear preference for coarse sediments: a high relative occurrence (> 40%) is reached in sediments with a median grain size of 300 to 550 μm. However, the species is absent in very coarse sediments (> 600 μm). Ophelia limacina tends to prefer sediments with low mud contents (optimum: 0 to 10%). The species does not occur in sediments with a mud content exceeding 20%. [details]

Habitat bathyal, infralittoral and circalittoral of the Gulf and estuary [details]

Morphology Body short, thick and spindle-shaped. Body maximally 50 mm in length and divided into 40 segments. The front part is cylindrical, while the hind part of the body has a ventral groove. The head is pointed, without appendages. Parapodia are inconspicuous and bear finger-like gills on the posterior part of the body. O. limacina is pink to flesh-coloured (Hartmann-Schröder, 1971). [details]
LanguageName 
English snail opheliidHamlet's ophelia worm  [details]
French ophélie  [details]
German SchneckenwurmGroßer Hamletwurm  [details]