Kingdom Animalia Phylum Annelida | Class Polychaeta Rank Species | |
 | ||
Family Scalibregmatidae
Malmgren, 1867 Genus Scalibregma
Rathke, 1843 Similar Chaetozone, Ampharete, Scoloplos (Scoloplos) armiger, Notomastus latericeus, Ophelina acuminata | ||
Scalibregma inflatum, also known as T headed worm, is a burrowing marine polychaete. It is a cosmopolitan species that can be found from the Arctic to Antarctica, although most probably several species are confounded.
Contents
Morphology
Up to 6 cm long with an orange body with 50–60 segments. Body is composed of a wide anterior part of segments 15–17 and a long slim posterior part. Prostomium rectangular shaped with two lateral horns making it appear as a T. peristomium without chaetae. Parapodia small and oval at first increasing in size from segments 16–18. Four pairs of branching gills dorsally on 2-5 segment with chaetae.
Ecology
Mainly found in muddy substrate, but can also be found in sand and between stones and shells. S. inflatum is a deposit feeder. During the spawning period S. inflatum undergoe epitoky.
Systematics
Scalibregma inflatum is found within the polychaete family Scalibregmatidae. The genus Scalibregma is composed of 15 different species.