Cerebratulus marginatus
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| Cerebratulus marginatus | |
|---|---|
_(8539764100).jpg) | |
| C. marginatus on left | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Nemertea |
| Class: | Pilidiophora |
| Order: | Heteronemertea |
| Family: | Lineidae |
| Genus: | Cerebratulus |
| Species: | C. marginatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Cerebratulus marginatus Renier, 1804[1] | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Cerebratulus marginatus is a proboscis worm in the family Lineidae. This ribbon worm has an Arctic distribution, and in the North Atlantic Ocean ranges as far south as Cape Cod and the Mediterranean Sea while in the Pacific Ocean it extends southwards to California.
Cerebratulus marginatus is a long, flattened worm that when fully extended grows to a length of over a metre (yard), but can contract to less than half its full length. Its width can be around 25 mm (1 in). The head tapers to a blunt point and the cephalic furrows are wide. The eyes contain dark pigment and are tiny and difficult to distinguish. Behind the mouth the body becomes dorso-ventrally flattened and often has wrinkles and folds which gives the worm its convoluted appearance. At the end of the body is a slender transparent caudal cirrus. The colour of this worm is somewhat variable; it is usually greyish-brown with pale or transparent edges, but the dorsal surface in older individuals is often darker than the ventral surface; other individuals are slate blue, dark brown or greyish-green. The pinkish nerve cords are often visible through the pale edges of the worm, and in young individuals the cerebral ganglia and the folded proboscis may also be discernible through the skin.[2]