Ophryotrocha puerilis
Species of annelid worm
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ophryotrocha puerilis is a species of marine polychaete worms in the order Eunicida. It is native to the northern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea and is the type species of the genus Ophryotrocha.[1]
| Ophryotrocha puerilis | |
|---|---|
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| Ophryotrocha puerilis at bottom right | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Annelida |
| Clade: | Pleistoannelida |
| Subclass: | Errantia |
| Order: | Eunicida |
| Family: | Dorvilleidae |
| Genus: | Ophryotrocha |
| Species: | O. puerilis |
| Binomial name | |
| Ophryotrocha puerilis Claparède & Mecznikow, 1869 [1] | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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Biology
Ophryotrocha puerilis starts life as a male but later changes sex to female. Under certain circumstances it can change back to a male as a result of environmental cues; it switches sex if two female stages are put together, or if the tail of a female stage is removed, but it remains female if kept in isolation.[2]