Hypsicomus stichophthalmos (Grube, 1863)

Description

Hypsicomus stichophthalmos is a small, sedentary annelid that lives in a cylindrical tube covered with fine grayish silt. This tube, which does not exceed 2 mm in diameter, protrudes only one to two centimeters from the substrate on which it is strongly anchored. Only the greenish-yellow to whitish gill plume comes out of the tube. This unfolds into a more or less flared trumpet and reaches 15 mm in diameter. It is composed of 14 to 30 gill filaments of equal size arranged in two semicircular lobes. On the external face, each filament bears on either side of the central axis, two linear series of eye spots arranged in a characteristic manner: one begins where the other ends. The body, completely protected in the tube, has 35 to 190 setigers including 9 to 13 thoracic. The little green sabella is an annelid that is sometimes found in large groups in shady areas. Very sensitive to vibrations and changes in brightness, the gill plume retracts very quickly into its tube in the event of danger, taking with it, when it is in a group, all the plumes of neighboring worms.

Distribution

Hypsicomus stichophthalmos lives between 8 and more than 120 meters depth in the western and eastern Mediterranean, it is common in the Marseille region. In the Atlantic, it is known from Madeira to Biarritz where it is also common.

How to cite this page

Bay-Nouailhat W., September 2023, Description of Hypsicomus stichophthalmos, [On line] https://www.european-marine-life.org/16/hypsicomus-stichophthalmos.php, consulted on 2024 April 28.