Parougia eliasoni

(Oug, 1978)

Description:
Body small and thin.
Prostomium rounded triangular, about as long as broad. Two antennae reaching chaetiger 6 or 7, with about 25 annulations. A pair of palps with annulations; distal part of palps is short; palps reach the first chaetiger. Eyes absent.
Peristomium and the following segment without parapodia and chaetae. All segments with a ciliary ring; median and posterior segments bear additional cilia around parapodia.
Parapodia with four lappets and sub-biramous appearance; with short postchaetal lobes. Dorsal cirri are strong and longer than the parapodial lobes, with an acicula; dorsal cirri absent on the first chaetiger. Ventral cirri are short.
Two bundles of chaetae. The upper bundle consists of 1-3 simple denticulate chaetae with bidentate tips and 0-3 forked chaetae with bidentate tips (forked chaetae absent on the first 1-3 chaetigers). The lower bundle with 5-10 compound bidentate chaetae (P. eliasoni-parapodium).
Pygidium with two long, annulated cirri and one short median cirrus.
Mandibles with coarsely serrated anterior edge. Maxillae: upper row of 14-10 plates with a big tooth and many smaller ones, basal plate with 5-6 teeth, lower row of weakly chitinized, oval plates (P. eliasoni-jaw plates).

Size:
Up to 10 mm for 57 segments.

Colour:
Living animal whitish to bright yellow.

Habitat:
On mud; upper sublittoral to 410 m.

Distribution:
Skagerrak, Ă–resund.

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