Melinna cristata

(Sars, 1851)

Description:
Body long, broad behind the gills and tapering towards the pygidium. Characteristic longitudinal, dorsolateral ridges on segments 3-5. Prostomium with three lobes, without glandular ridges, with eyespots.
Gills in two groups separated by a distance of about one base of a gill and connected by a membrane of varying height; three gills in each group in an oblique row slanting posteriorly towards the middorsum, the fourth gill in front of the middle one of the three.
A pair of stout dorsal hooks behind the gills. An anteriorly orientated serrated brim with sharp points across the dorsum behind the hooks. The points of the serrated brim sharp. Segments 3-6 with fine neuropodial spines. Sixteen thoracic segments with notopodia with capillary chaetae (those of segment 5 very small), the posterior 14 also with neuropodia with uncini. About 50 uncinigerous abdominal segments. Pygidium with inconspicuous papillae. Ventral chaetae of segments 3-6 acicular, from segment 7 and throughout thorax pectinate uncini with 1 row of 4 teeth; abdominal uncini with 1 or more rows of four teeth.

Size:
Up to 50 mm for 75 segments.

Tube:
Characteristic, long, tapering posteriorly, encrusted with a more or less thick layer of clay and usually with shell fragments transversely arranged and protruding out of the clay.

Colour:
In alcohol yellowish or pink.

Habitat:
Unknown.

Distribution:
Eastern North Atlantic, Arctic, North Sea, Skagerrak.

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