WoRMS taxon details
Scalibregma Rathke, 1843
129555 (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:129555)
accepted
Genus
Scalibregma inflatum Rathke, 1843 (type by monotypy)
Oligobranchus M. Sars, 1846 · unaccepted (subjective synonym)
- Species Scalibregma aggregatum Blake, 2025
- Species Scalibregma antennatum Blake, 2025
- Species Scalibregma aubreyi Blake, 2025
- Species Scalibregma australis Blake, 2015
- Species Scalibregma beaufortensis Blake, 2025
- Species Scalibregma brevicauda Verrill, 1873
- Species Scalibregma californicum Blake, 2000
- Species Scalibregma celticum Mackie, 1991
- Species Scalibregma chilensis Blake, 2025
- Species Scalibregma cinthyae Mendes, Rizzo & De Paiva, 2023
- Species Scalibregma cornutum Blake, 2025
- Species Scalibregma fimbriatum Blake, 2025
- Species Scalibregma hadrostomium Blake, 2025
- Species Scalibregma hanseni Bakken, Oug & Kongsrud, 2014
- Species Scalibregma inflatum Rathke, 1843
- Species Scalibregma lanai Mendes, Rizzo & De Paiva, 2023
- Species Scalibregma lydoniensis Blake, 2025
- Species Scalibregma profundum Blake, 2025
- Species Scalibregma rhoadsi Blake, 2025
- Species Scalibregma ridleyensis Blake, 2025
- Species Scalibregma robustum Zachs, 1923
- Species Scalibregma sahlingi Blake, 2025
- Species Scalibregma stenocerum (Bertelsen & Weston, 1980)
- Species Scalibregma therouxi Blake, 2025
- Species Scalibregma velatum Blake, 2025
- Species Scalibregma wireni Furreg, 1925
- Species Scalibregma brevicaudum [auct. misspelling] accepted as Scalibregma brevicauda Verrill, 1873 (unaccepted > misspelling - incorrect subsequent spelling, 'brevicauda' is a noun phrase and is not corrected for gender agreement)
- Species Scalibregma groenlandicum (Sars, 1846) accepted as Scalibregma inflatum Rathke, 1843 (unaccepted > superseded combination, supersed subsequent combination of subjective synonym)
- Species Scalibregma minutum Webster & Benedict, 1887 accepted as Scalibregma inflatum Rathke, 1843 (subjective synonym)
- Species Scalibregma parvum Hansen, 1879 accepted as Pseudoscalibregma parvum (Hansen, 1879) (basionym)
- Species Scalibregma robusta Zachs, 1923 accepted as Scalibregma robustum Zachs, 1923 (superseded original combination)
- Species Scalibregma vegae Furreg, 1925 accepted as Scalibregma robustum Zachs, 1923 (subjective synonym)
- Species Scalibregma abyssorum Hansen, 1879 (uncertain > nomen dubium, indeterminable from type)
marine, brackish, fresh, terrestrial
recent only
neuter
Rathke, H. (1843). Beiträge zur Fauna Norwegens. [Contributions to the Fauna of Norway]. <em>Nova Acta Academiae Caesareae Leopoldino-Carolinae Naturae Curiosorum, Breslau & Bonn.</em> 20: 1-264., available online at https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.11613
page(s): 182-184 [details]
page(s): 182-184 [details]
Etymology Rathke (1843: 182, footnote) explains the derivation of Scalibregma as follows (translated): "The name is composed of...
Etymology Rathke (1843: 182, footnote) explains the derivation of Scalibregma as follows (translated): "The name is composed of (Greek for) front head and (Greek for) a tool for digging, scratching." Brown (1954) translates Greek bregma, -tos, neuter, as front part of the head, and Greek skalis -idos (feminine) as mattock or hoe. Thus Scalibregma means forehead hoe and the genus is neuter as the 2nd word bregma is neuter. [details]
Read, G.; Fauchald, K. (Ed.) (2025). World Polychaeta Database. Scalibregma Rathke, 1843. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=129555 on 2025-07-16
Date
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Nomenclature
original description
Rathke, H. (1843). Beiträge zur Fauna Norwegens. [Contributions to the Fauna of Norway]. <em>Nova Acta Academiae Caesareae Leopoldino-Carolinae Naturae Curiosorum, Breslau & Bonn.</em> 20: 1-264., available online at https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.11613
page(s): 182-184 [details]
original description (of Oligobranchus M. Sars, 1846) Sars, M. (1846). Fauna littoralis Norvegiae oder Beschreibung und Abbildungen neuer oderwenig bekannter Seethiere, nebst Beobachtungen über die Organisation,Lebensweise und Entwickelung derselben. 1-194. Johann Dahk. Christiania., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/45526545
page(s): 91 [details]
page(s): 182-184 [details]
original description (of Oligobranchus M. Sars, 1846) Sars, M. (1846). Fauna littoralis Norvegiae oder Beschreibung und Abbildungen neuer oderwenig bekannter Seethiere, nebst Beobachtungen über die Organisation,Lebensweise und Entwickelung derselben. 1-194. Johann Dahk. Christiania., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/45526545
page(s): 91 [details]
Identification resource
identification resource
Mendes, Samuel Lucas Da Silva Delgado; Rizzo, Alexandra E.; De Paiva, Paulo Cesar. (2023). Unravelling the diversity of Scalibregma Rathke, 1843 (Annelida: 'Polychaeta': Scalibregmatidae) from southeast Brazilian coast. <em>Zootaxa.</em> 5353(5): 441-454., available online at https://mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5353.5.3
page(s): 452; note: Key to Scalibregma species [details] Available for editors
[request]
page(s): 452; note: Key to Scalibregma species [details] Available for editors

Other
additional source
Fauchald, K. (1977). The polychaete worms, definitions and keys to the orders, families and genera. <em>Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County: Los Angeles, CA (USA), Science Series.</em> 28:1-188., available online at http://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/123110.pdf [details]
additional source 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)
note: checklist listing [details]
additional source Day, J. H. (1967). [Sedentaria] A monograph on the Polychaeta of Southern Africa. Part 2. Sedentaria. British Museum (Natural History), London. pp. 459–842., available online at http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/8596 [details]
additional source 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)
note: checklist listing [details]
additional source Day, J. H. (1967). [Sedentaria] A monograph on the Polychaeta of Southern Africa. Part 2. Sedentaria. British Museum (Natural History), London. pp. 459–842., available online at http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/8596 [details]




From editor or global species database
Diagnosis "Body elongate, arenicoliform. Prostomium T-shaped with lateral horns. Peristomium achaetous, surrounding prostomium dorsally and forming upper and lower lips of mouth ventrally. Parapodia of posterior segments with dorsal and ventral cirri; interramal papilla present; postsetal lamellae absent. Branchiae present in anterior segments. Chaetae include capillaries, lyrate chaetae, and sometimes inconspicuous blunt, pointed, or bifurcated spinous chaetae anterior to capillaries of chaetigers 1 or 1‒2, representing homologues of lyrate chaetae; large conspicuous acicular spines absent. Pygidium with long anal cirri." (Blake, 2015: 60).Blake (2015 & 2025) examines species differences within Scalibregma, but following his diagnoses provides no indication as to the unique characters of Scalibregma compared to the other scalibregmatid genera. The presence of anterior arborescent branchiae may be the most obvious differing character state, and presence of variable anal cirri and lobes may be relevant. [details]
Etymology Rathke (1843: 182, footnote) explains the derivation of Scalibregma as follows (translated): "The name is composed of (Greek for) front head and (Greek for) a tool for digging, scratching." Brown (1954) translates Greek bregma, -tos, neuter, as front part of the head, and Greek skalis -idos (feminine) as mattock or hoe. Thus Scalibregma means forehead hoe and the genus is neuter as the 2nd word bregma is neuter. [details]
Grammatical gender Neuter. Rathke (1843) gave the type species a neuter species-group name, 'inflatum', consistent with his derivation etymology, and about six of the following names from later authors were given neuter adjectival species-group names. [details]