Greeff, 1879

Description
Body relatively short and broad, up to 34 segments and a 'tail', which is missing in young individuals. Without obvious segmentation other than elongated parapodia.
Prostomium with two short, divergent antennae, two eyes with lenses and two ciliated nuchal organs. The length of cirriform appendages of the second segment is at least half the body length.
Anterior part of body with 14-21 parapodia and a 'tail' bearing 10-14 very reduced parapodia. Tail may be a third of the total body length. All parapodia with rosette organs in the tips of both branches [T.helgolandica-pp]; yellow in life, brownish in preserved specimens.
Parapodia without chaetae.

Size
Commonly 20-40 mm in length, including the tail.

Colour
Body striated with dark brown lines in life, but transparent when fixed.

Depth range
Pelagic, neritic.

Distribution in the North Sea
All North Sea, including Waddenzee, Skagerrak, Kattegat from Øresund to Bay of Kiel.

World Distribution
Coastal, Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, English Channel, Mediterranean Sea.
World distribution

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Annelida
Class Polychaeta
Order Phyllodocida
Superfamily Typhloscolecoidea
Family Tomopteridae
Genus Tomopteris
species Tomopteris helgolandica

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Synonym of Tomopteris (Johnstonella) helgolandica (Greeff, 1879)

Sorry, there are no scientific synonyms and common names available for this species

de Kluijver, M., S.S. Ingalsuo, A.J.L. van Nieuwenhuizen and H.H. Veldhuijzen van Zanten, 2000. Macrobenthos of the North Sea. Vol. II - Keys to Polychaeta, Nemertina, Sipuncula, Platyhelminthes and miscellaneous worm-like groups. World Biodiversity database, CD-ROM Series. Expert Centre for Taxonomic Identifications (ETI), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam.

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

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

Möller, H.,1980. A summer survey of large zooplankton, particularly Scyphomedusae, in North Sea and Baltic. Meeresforschungen, 28(1): 61-68.

Muus, B.J., 1953b. Polychaeta. Families: Tomopteridae and Typhoscolecidae. Fiches d'Identification du Zooplancton, 53 (1953). Conseil International pour l'Exploration de la Mer, Kopenhagen.

Plate, S. and E. Husemann, 1994. Identification guide to the planktonic polychaete larvae around the island of Helgoland (German Bight). Helgoländer Meeresuntersuchungen, 48(1): 1-58.

Pleijel, F. and R.P. Dales, 1991. Polychaetes: British phyllodocoideans, typhloscolecoideans and tomopteroideans. Synopses of the British Fauna (New Series), 45. 202 pp.

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