| Odontosyllis polycera (Schmarda, 1861). Family Syllidae | ||||
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Odontosyllis polycera [Click photo for picture page] 
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| Habitat: | Intertidal. Subtidal. Rocky shore. Open beaches. Epifaunal. Depth range: 0-70 (m). Salinity regime: Marine only. Microhabitat: Tidal pools under stones, crevices, and amongst turf of coralline algae. Tube: None. | |||
| Occurrence: | Consistently occurring. Density: 50 (m2).
Distribution in NZ: New Zealand wide | |||
| Feeding guild: | Surface omnivore. | |||
| Diagnosis: | Genus Odontosyllis in Family Syllidae.
Odontosylliswith a large black occipital flap, high rounded body. Overall black in colour. Dorsal cirri pale, straight and smooth, alternating in length. Colour: Black appearance overall, but in closer view more grey with the pale intersegmental and paler transverse zone in mid-segment giving a banded appearance Maximum size: 60 mm total length, 5 mm body width. |
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| Notable aspect: | The largest New Zealand syllid. The very large occipital flap is characteristic. | |||
| Comparisons: | At least one other Odontosyllis species occurs which is paler with fewer dark bands. | |||
| Taxonomy: | O. polylcera is a South African species. There are six Odontosyllis species names recorded for New Zealand. It is not clear how many are synonyms of O. polylcera, or indeed if this name is correct for the common intertidal species, but regardless there are probably several species of this genus present in New Zealand waters. | |||
| Distribution: | South Africa, New Zealand. | |||
| Biology: | Reproduces by reversible epitoky, becoming free-swimming at night and spawning in spring (October). | |||
| Best References: | Biology: Daly (1975) Reversible epitoky in the life history of the polychaete Odontosyllis polycera (Schmarda, 1861).. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 55:327-344 Taxonomy: No recommendation. | |||
| More information: |
Synonyms, NZ records | Original figures | Original description details | |
| Genus diagnosis | More pictures | Further references (biology, etc) | Family Syllidae | |
| 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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