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Pherusa parmata			Flabelligeridae (flabelligerid) Terebellida (Annelida: Polychaeta)

Pherusa  parmata  (Grube, 1878).   Family Flabelligeridae
				Pherusa parmata [Click photo for picture page]
Habitat:	Intertidal. Rocky shore. Bays and sheltered beaches. Burrow contains little or no sediment. Depth range: 0-65 (m). Salinity regime: Harbour-like variation. Microhabitat:  Secondary inhabitant of any suitably-sized boring in sandstone, and in crevices Tube: No tube. Occupies borings
Occurrence:	Consistently occurring, sometimes common. Density: 100 (m2). Distribution in NZ: Appears to be more common in the northern North Island.
Feeding guild:	Surface deposit/filter-feeding.
Diagnosis:	Genus Pherusa in Family Flabelligeridae. Pherusa with a tough grey-brown outer surface (not obviously papillated), oblique hard cephalic plate encrusted with debris, and anterior cage of long anterior chaetae. Notochaetae crossbarred capillaries. Body neurochaetae 2-3 thick, dark, simple hooks. Colour:  Maximum size: 40 mm total length, 5 mm body width.
Notable aspect:	Cephalic plate, anterior cage of chaetae, neurochaetal hooks.
Comparisons:	Flabelligera affinis is the other intertidal flabelligerid. It is encased in mucus and lacks a shield-like head structure.
Taxonomy:	Pherusa parmata was first described from the Phillipines. It is possible the New Zealand species is a similar but distinct species, such as the Australian Pherusa horsti which Augener (1926) recorded as a subspecies for Stewart Island worms.
Distribution:	Phillipines, New Zealand
Biology:	Cryptic in crevices and borings in mudstone, etc. Morton and Miller report the species has luminescent patches.
Best References:	Biology: No recommendation. Taxonomy: Augener (1926) Papers from Dr. Th. Mortensen's Pacific Expedition 1914-16. 34. Polychaeta III. Polychaeten von Neuseeland. II. Sedentaria. Videnskabelige Meddelelser fra Dansk naturhistorisk Forening, København 81:157-294.

More  information:	Synonyms,  NZ records	Original figures	Original description details
	Genus diagnosis	More pictures	Further references (biology, etc)	Family Flabelligeridae
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The information provided by this page and by the pages of the "more information" links is held in a structured form for rapid and frequent updating and improvement. Descriptive text is compiled from a number of database fields, some of which may occasionally be empty. Data last edited 4/07/2004, and page last generated by G. Read, 27/07/2004    (dd/mm/yy)