orbiniid polychaete Leitoscoloplos kerguelensis

Leitoscoloplos kerguelensis is found in Antarctica and South Shetland Islands, Falkland Islands, Marion and Prince Edward Islands, Kerguelen Islands, South America, Australia, and South Africa, from 3 to 4,099 meters depth [1,2,3]. L. kerguelensis can be up to four centimeters long with a width up to 2 millimeters [1]. L. kerguelensis can be a dominant species in a soft bottom community [2].

Taxonomic Note: Older genus is Haploscoloplos.

1: Marine Fauna of the Ross Sea : Polychaeta. GA Knox & DB Cameron. National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Biodiversity Memoir 108. Wellington, New Zealand : NIWA, 1998; 2: Polish Polar Research 21(3-4):153-169, 2000; 3: South African Journal of Antarctic Research 24(1-2):3-52, 1994

Text ©Peter Brueggeman. Photograph ©Canadian Museum of Nature (Kathleen Conlan). Photograph may not be used in any form without the express written permission of Canadian Museum of Nature (Kathleen Conlan).