NIWA Guide to Polychaeta | Shore polychaetes | Pick shore group | Pick shore family | Shell polychaetes

Lepidonotus polychromus			Polynoidae (polynoid/scale worm) Phyllodocida (Annelida: Polychaeta)

Lepidonotus  polychromus  Schmarda, 1861.   Family Polynoidae
				Lepidonotus polychromus [Click photo for picture page]
Habitat:	Intertidal. Subtidal. Rocky shore. Sheltered to open beaches. Epifaunal. Depth range: 1-15 (m). Salinity regime: Harbour-like variation. Microhabitat:  Crevices and holdfasts. Tube: None.
Occurrence:	Consistently occurring. Density: 100 (m2). Distribution in NZ: New Zealand mainland islands.
Feeding guild:	Surface carnivore.
Diagnosis:	Genus Lepidonotus in Family Polynoidae. Lepidonotus with fringed elytra with variable small papilla on dorsal surface, dorsal cirri with no or slight subterminal swelling and WITHOUT black band, neurochaete WITHOUT subdistal minor tooth (separate from other chaetal ornamentation). Antennal cirrophores with diffuse black pigment. Colour: Highly variable mottled brown and black blotches and patterns on elytra. Maximum size: 25 mm total length, 8 mm body width.
Notable aspect:	None.
Comparisons:	Lepidonotus jacksoni has black subdistal bands on dorsal cirri.
Taxonomy:	More than one species may be included in the current usage.
Distribution:	New Zealand.
Biology:	Ubiquitous on rocky shores and subtidally in crevices and gap habitats such as algal holdfasts, but never abundant. Often reported by taxonomists.
Best References:	Biology: No recommendation. Taxonomy: Ehlers (1904) Neuseeländische Anneliden. Abhandlungen der Königlichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen. Mathematisch-Physikalische Klasse. Neue Folge 3:1-80, 9pls.

More  information:	Synonyms,  NZ records	Original figures	Original description details
	Genus diagnosis	More pictures	Further references (biology, etc)	Family Polynoidae
Internet  sources:	GOOGLE Search |   AlltheWeb Search | CISTI |   CBIF BiOSC Gateway | GOBASE Molecular | GenBank | Genus only in GenBank |
	Genus only in Ubio Taxonomic Name Server |  PubMed | Scirus | Zoological Record |
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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 6/07/2004, and page last generated by G. Read, 27/07/2004    (dd/mm/yy)