Samytha sexcirrata can be up to 25 mm long. It can be found along the entire Norwegian coast at depths between 100 and 500 meters.

Type locality

Manger, Norway, 90–110 m.

Key characters

Fig. 1. Anterior end. br: branchiae (branchial scars), lwl: lower lip, pr: prostomium

Measurements: Up to 25 mm long.

Number of thoracic chaetigers: 17

Number of thoracic uncinigers: 14

Number of abdominal uncinigers: 13

Prostomium: Trilobed; eyespots absent.

Mouth tentacles: Smooth.

Branchiae: Three pairs of branchiae in two groups separated by distance equal to about one branchial base diameter; branchiae in transverse row.

Paleae: Absent.

Special features: Lower lip enlarged.

Pygidium: Without lateral cirri, with numerous papillae.

Tube: Made of sand.

Distribution

Entire Norwegian coast; 104–460 m (Jirkov 2001).

Remarks

Holthe (1986a) reports S. sexcirrata down to 5000 m. This depth is questionable, at least in Norwegian waters.

Similar species

The large lower lip, in combination with three pairs of branchiae and absence of paleae, makes it unlikely to confuse adult complete specimens of Samytha sexcirrata with any other Ampharetidae in Norwegian waters.

Sources

Holthe T (1986a). Polychaeta Terebellomorpha. Marine Invertebrates of Scandinavia 7: 1-192.

Jirkov IA (2001). [Polychaeta of the Arctic Ocean] (In Russian). Polikhety severnogo Ledovitogo Okeana. Yanus-K Press. Moscow, 632 pp.

Sars M (1856). Nye Annelider. Fauna littoralis Norvegiae (Fredrik D. Beyer. Bergen). heft 2:1-24., available online at http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/41477013

Personal observations, Alvestad T.

Siden siteres som:

Alvestad T og Budaeva N (2020). Samytha sexcirrata (M. Sars, 1856). www.artsdatabanken.no/Pages/299325. Nedlastet <dag/måned/år>