(Rye - The Trondheim fjord / 12 meters / 1.10.2004)

Phylum: Annelida

Class: Polychaeta

Functional group: Errantia

Order: Phyllodocida

Family: Polynoidae

Scientific name: Alentia gelatinosa

 

Norwegian: -

Characteristics: This bristle worm may reach a length of 9 cm. Its most typical feature is the 18 pairs of soft and semitransparent shells. The dorsal side is white, yellow, or even orange, as the specimen below. Sometimes it has transverse brown and white bands. The body is flattened. It may move with a considerable speed (1-2 cm/sec) when disturbed.

Distribution: Alentia gelatinosa exists along the entire Norwegian coast, as far north as the western parts of Finnmark. It thrives on sandy substrate, often under rocks in the subtidal zone.

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