Order Phyllodocida 



Phyllodoce (Anaitides) arenae Webster, 1879 



DESCRIPTION: An active, crawling, mucus-secreting form, 

 which moves freely over the sediment surface or swims. Dorsal 

 surface with dark transverse bands; length to 100 mm, width to 2.5 

 mm, segments to 200 (Pettibone 1963). 



DISTRIBUTION: Maine to North Carolina (Gardiner 1975). 



HABITAT: Coarse to muddy sand mixed with some shell frag- 

 ments, intertidal to 195 m (Pettibone 1963; Gardiner 1975). In the 

 New York Bight apex, Phyllodoce arenae occurred primarily in 

 fine to medium, low organic sandy substrates and was sparsely rep- 

 resented in coarse sands, silt, and medium to high organic areas 

 (Fig. 25; Table 1). 



FEEDING ECOLOGY: Their active habits and well-developed 

 eyes imply that all phyllodocids are carnivorous, but no form of 

 prey or plant remains has ever been found in the gut of P. arenae 

 (Pettibone 1963; Day 1967). A closely related species. Phyllodoce 

 maculaia, is predaceous, attacking and devouring other poly- 

 chaetes and nemerteans, being itself protected, to some extent, by- 

 its abundant, offensive mucus (Pettibone 1963). 



REPRODUCTION AND GROWTH: P. arenae has been found 

 swarming at the water surface in June, July, and August in Woods 



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Figure 25. — Distribution and abundance of Phyllodoce arenae in the New York 

 Bight apex. 



Hole, Mass., however, they are not epitokous. Many phyllodocids 

 lay their greenish-colored eggs in gelatinous masses. The larvae of 

 P. arenae may have a long pelagic existence as do those of several 

 other species of Phyllodoce (Thorson 1946; Pettibone 1963). 



ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: McLusky and Phillips (1975) 

 studied the effects of copper on P. maculata. They found the 

 threshold of toxicity of copper in seawater to this polychaete to be 

 approximately 0.08 ppm. In a 1 .00 ppm solution, worms accumu- 

 lated 437.5 ppm copper within 2 d. after which death occurred. 

 Higher accumulations, reaching 567.8 ppm, were found in worms 

 which had been exposed to 0.06 ppm concentrations for 3 wk with 

 no obvious side effects. This suggests that it is not the amount of 

 copper contained in tissues which results in death, but some other 

 factor such as rate of uptake. At lower rates of uptake, the animals 

 may be able to cope by depositing the copper in the tissues or possi- 

 bly by excreting it through the nephridial system. In a 0.08 ppm 

 solution (the lethal concentration), the rate of uptake corresponds to 

 an increase of about 25 ppm of copper per day, which is probably 

 the critical rate of uptake. 



Eteone longa (Fabricius, 1780) 



DESCRIPTION: A slender-bodied burrowing form; length to 

 160 mm, width to 5 mm, segments to 200 (Pettibone 1963). 



DISTRIBUTION: Widely distributed in the Arctic, also Iceland, 

 Norway to English Channel. Hudson Bay to off North Carolina, 

 Chukchi Sea to Mexico, north Japan Sea, China (Pettibone 1963; 

 Reish 1965). 



HABITAT: Found at low water in mud flats, muddy sand, sand, 

 gravel, under stones, eelgrass. Also found in depths to 1,668 m in 

 sandy mud. sand and shells, and in various combinations of soft 

 mud. sand, gravel, pebbles, rocks, shells, and worm tubes (Petti- 

 bone 1963). In the New York Bight apex. Eteone longa was found 

 in all sediment types in depths > 14m. but was found in highest 

 concentrations in high organic, silty-fine sand areas (Fig. 26; Table 

 1). Seasonal distributions were almost identical. 



FEEDING ECOLOGY: Because of their active nature and well- 

 developed eyes, it has been assumed that all phyllodocids are carni- 

 vores. Khlebovich (1959, cited in Fauchald and Jumars 1979) 

 reported that E. longa feeds exclusively on the spionid polychaete. 

 Spio filicornis: Michaelis (1971) found the same species to feed 

 exclusively on another spionid polychaete, Scolelepis squamata. 

 however, Retiere ( 1967) found E. longa to be less selective, feeding 

 on a variety of small metazoans. 



Wigley (1956) stated that phyllodocids, in general, are among 

 the most important foods of small (14-30 cm) Georges Bank had- 

 dock. 



REPRODUCTION AND GROWTH: Pettibone (1963) reported 

 that some specimens off. longa were Filled with yolky eggs during 

 April 1954 in Rye Harbor and Hampton Harbor. N.H. According to 

 Thorson (1946), the eggs are spawned in irregular, slimy masses 

 and the larvae have a relatively short planktonic existence. In the 

 Danish Isefjord. Rasmussen (1956. 1973) observed adults off. 

 longa swimming actively near the surface of the water in April and 

 May, where eggs of 1 10 ^m diameter were spawned. Planktonic 

 larvae were found from late April to late May. The species is also 

 known to reproduce at this time of year in England (Meek and Star- 



18 



