(McIntosh, 1877)
Description:
Body slender. Prostomium rounded oblong. Nuchal papilla very small and poorly delineated, not often detectable. Eyes rather small. Proximal part of proboscis with six longitudinal rows of papillae on each side. Median rows with about 8-9 papillae, others with about 4-5 papillae. One long and slender ventrally displaced papilla on each side. More distally mid-lateral rows continue as large, hard, tooth-like papillae. These papillae, arranged in two rows of four either side, triangular in cross-section, pointing backwards along the protruded proboscis. Distal part smooth or slightly rugose. Terminal ring of about 17-18 papillae. Segment 1 dorsally reduced. Tentacular cirri of segment 1 reaching about segment 6. Dorsal and ventral tentacular cirri of segment 2 reaching about segment 10 and segment 5-6 respectively. Dorsal tentacular cirri of segment 3 reaching about segment 9. Chaetae present from segment 3. Dorsal cirri of median segments more or less rectangular, distal part wider. Parapodial lobes bilobed with upper part slightly larger than lower. Ventral cirri subulate with extremely fine, extended tips. Pygidial cirri about ten times as long as broad (P. rosea-detail).
Size:
Up to 35 mm for over 110 segments.
Colour:
Living animals with red pigment on ventral and posterior dorsal part of prostomium. This pigment continues backwards, forming two lateral bands along anterior part of dorsum. In some specimens median and posterior segments have faint dorsal transverse yellow bands, in others a longitudinal band is present. Ventrally with a faint red median line. Eyes dark red. Smaller specimens almost unpigmented. Pigmentation disappears in preserved specimens.
Habitat:
On muddy sediments from 20 to at least 500 m.
Distribution:
Ireland, Scotland, North Sea, English Channel, Skagerrak, Kattegat to Öresund.