Brada villosa (Rathke, 1843)

Synonyms:
Siphonostoma villosum Rathke, 1843
Brada parthenopeia Lo Bianco,1893
Brada pilosa Moore,1906
Brada villosa Haase, 1915

Distinguishing characteristics
U-shaped body, encrusted with sand.
Neuropodial chaetae of the first chaetiger equal or smaller then width of body.
Papillae filamentous.

Species description
Body U-shaped, dorsally arched, ventrally flat, without eyes. Epidermis densely papillated with filamentous papillae, encrusted with sand. Prostomium and peristomium retractile, with 2 grooved palps and 30-100 short filamentous branchiae in two groups. Notopodial chaetae long capillaries, 2-11 per segment. Neuropodial chaetae of the first chaetiger capillary, the others 3-4, distally bent spines.

Size
Up to 40 mm for 35 segments.

Color
Alive animal greenish.
In alcohol grey or brownish.

Habitat
Muds. Known from cold seeps, hydrothermal vents, oxygen minimum zones, whale carcasses. Sublittoral to 3400 m. Species very sensitive to organic enrichment, intolerant to pollution.

Mobility
Discretely motile.

Feeding
Surface deposit feeder.

Life cycle

Distribution
Antarctic and Subantarctic, Arctic, North Pacific, North Atlantic to Mediterranean, North Sea to Öresund