(Pallas, 1766)

Description:
Anterior part of prostomium more or less notched anteriorly, bearing paired lateral antennae and paired palps laterally; posterior part of prostomium rectangular, with a median antenna and four eyes arranged in a rectangle. Antennae and palps awl-shaped, median antenna twice as long as lateral ones. Caruncle covers the anterior 4 chaetigers, with 6-8 lateral folds with or without secondary folds (H. carunculata-head/parapodium). Ventral mouth surrounded by anterior part of prostomium and the first 3-5 chaetigers. Anus dorsal and without papilla.
Gills on all chaetigers, each with two stems and tree-shaped. Dorsal and ventral cirri with basal joint. Capillary notopodial chaetae smooth or harpoon-like, others arrowhead-like. Neuropodial chaetae forked, with very small spur, serrated, others arrowhead-like (H. carunculata-detail).

Size:
Up to 300 mm for 60-150 segments.

Colour:
Yellowish or red-brown ventrally, greenish or brown with green and black transverse bands and white intersegmental bands dorsally; gills red with white spots; caruncle red and white.

Habitat:
Lives on corals, rocks, stones, mud, sand, drifting wood and among Posidonia. Intertidal to subtidal.

Distribution:
A widespread species, mainly in tropical regions and subtropical regions of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Only once found on the Dogger Bank, North Sea.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Annelida
Class Polychaeta
Order Amphinomida
Family Amphinomidae
Genus Hermodice
Species Hermodice carunculata

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Accepted name: Hermodice carunculata (Pallas, 1766)

Scientific synonyms and common names

Aphrodite carunculata Pallas, 1766
Hermodice carunculata Fauvel, 1923

George, J.D. & G. Hartmann-Schröder, 1985. Polychaetes: British Amphinomida, Spintherida and Eunicida. Synopses of the British Fauna (NS), 32: 1-221.

Hartmann-Schröder, G., 1996. Annelida, Borstenwürmer, Polychaeta. Tierwelt Deutschlands, 58: 1-648.

Hempelmann, F., 1934. Archiannelida und Polychaeta. In: Handbuch der Zoologie, Zweiter Band. Walter de Gruyter & Co., Berlin und Leipzig.

Kirkegaard, J.B., 1992. Havbørsteorme I. Danmarks Fauna, 83: 1-416.

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