(O.F. Müller, 1776)
Description:
Body short, conical, tapering towards scaphe. 17 chaetigers, three of them thoracic, fourteen abdominal.
Tentacular membrane broad, not much folded, usually with ca. 20 points. Dorsal brim serrated, usually with 15-25 serrations.
Anterior end with two pairs of tentacular cirri and 10-15 broad, golden paleae on each side.
Dorsal capillary chaetae present on 17 segments; ventral chaetae are uncini on 13 segments. Spines at base of scaphe distally curved (P. auricoma-detail).
Dorsolaterally two pairs of leaf-like gills present.
Scaphe anteriorly with folded margin, posteriorly smooth. Anal tongue prominent, pygidial cirrus long.
Size:
Up to 40 mm long.
Tube:
Curved, conical masonry of sand grains; typically longer, narrower and firmer than that of Pectinaria koreni , up to 67 mm long and 7.4 mm wide (P. auricoma-tube).
Colour:
In life pink with red gills. In alcohol yellowish.
Habitat:
In many types of sediment, ranging from silt to coarse sand; it is most abundant on mixed bottoms with silt and fine sand; lower eulittoral to 500 m.
Distribution:
Eastern North Atlantic to the Gulf of Guinea, Mediterranean, Canadian Atlantic, Canadian Pacific. Iceland, the Faeroes, Shetland, Norwegian coast to East Finnmark, North Sea, Skagerrak, Kattegat, the Öresund and the Belts.