Chambers, 1985
Description:
Body of this scale-worm small, tapering posteriorly. Dorsal surface smooth, ventral surface papillate.
Prostomium rounded with a median antenna, a pair of palps and a facial tubercle with a wide papillate base. Eyes absent.
First segment achaetous with a pair of dorsal and ventral tentacular cirri in cirrophores which extend to ensheath the base of the palps.
Scales overlap but do not cover the anterior dorsal surface when the proboscis is retracted. They occur on segments 1, 3, 4 and 6 then alternately to the 22nd and then on all segments. The first pair are round the rest oval to kidney-shaped. All scales have outer margins and surfaces with flask-shaped papillae. Two ctenidial cushions attached to the dorsal surface of notopodia appear on the 2nd segment and three appear on all remaining segments without scales.
Notopodia are small mounds with chaetae arranged dorsally in a semicircle. Notopodial chaetae of two kinds: 1) fine capillaries; 2) geniculate capillaries. Neuropodia projecting beyond notopodia with short papillae and chaetae in a bundle. Neuropodial chaetae with thin blades, unidentate tips and shafts spinose or smooth (P. pallida-detail).
Size:
Up to 15 mm for 70 chaetigers.
Colour:
Pale white/grey.
Habitat:
Sublittoral.
Distribution:
North Sea, Skagerrak, Kattegat, Öresund.