polynoid polychaete

Head from above

Antarctic polychaetes have a much higher percentage of unique species than polychaete faunas in other parts of the world [1].

Head from below

The name "polychaete" means "many bristles." These bristles, the setae, project from side appendages on the worm called parapods. Some polychaete species like this one have leg-like parapods used in walking, with the setae assisting in locomotion.

1: Adaptations within Antarctic Ecosystems, Proceedings of the Third SCAR Symposium on Antarctic Biology. GA Llano, ed. Washington, DC : Smithsonian Institution, 1977. pp.1111-1127

Text ©Peter Brueggeman. Photograph ©Paul Cziko. Photograph may not be used in any form without the express written permission of Paul Cziko.