Scoloplos armiger (Müller, 1776)

Synonyms:
Lumbricus armiger O.F Müller, 1776
Aricia mülleri Rathke, 1843
Aricia arctica Hansen, 1882
Aricia armiger Michaelsen, 1896
Scoloplos armiger McIntosh, 1910

Distinguishing characteristics
Prostomium sharply conical, longer than broad.
Thoracic neuropodia with capillary chaetae and characteristic hooks.

Species description
Body long, anteriorly broad and flat, posteriorly slightly flattened dorsally and rounded ventrally. Prostomium sharply conical, longer than broad. Thorax with 12-22 chaetigers. Thoracic notopodia with a small, conical postchaetal lobe, with an acicula and a bundle of capillary chaetae. Thoracic neuropodia are swollen tori with small, conical postchaetal lamellae, many capillary chaetae and characteristic hooks. Abdominal notopodia with simple postchaetal lobes, with aciculae, capillary and forked chaetae. Abdominal neuropodia bilobed, with aciculae, a few capillary chaetae and a small ventral cirrus. Branchiae, tongue-shape or lanceolate, start at chaetiger 9-17. Pygidium with 2 long cirri.

Size
Up to 120 mm for over 200 segments.

Color
Alive bright orange or pink.

Habitat
In all kind of soft bottoms. Eulittoral to 2000 m.

Mobility
Mobile.

Feeding
Subsurface deposit feeder.

Life cycle

Distribution
World-wide.