BIOTIC Species Information for Magelona mirabilis
|Researched by||Will Rayment||Data supplied by||MarLIN|
|Refereed by||Mike Kendall|
|Scientific name||Magelona mirabilis||Common name||A bristleworm|
|MCS Code||P807||Recent Synonyms||Magelona papillicornis. See additional information.|
|Additional Information||Magelona papillicornis is not a true synonym. Magelona papillicornis has not changed its name and still exists off the coasts of Brazil.
However, Magelona mirabilis includes the north east Atlantic animals that were once called Magelona papillicornis (M. Kendall, pers. comm.).
See Jones (1977) for further taxonomic information.
For detailed notes on the identification of European Magelona sp., see Fiege et al. (2000).
|Taxonomy References||Hayward et al., 1996, Hayward & Ryland, 1995b, Howson & Picton, 1997, Fish & Fish, 1996, Fiege et al., 2000, Jones, 1977,|
|Growth form||Vermiform segmented
||Feeding method||Surface deposit feeder
|Typical food types||Detritus, microalgae, small animals||Habit||Burrow dwelling|
|Bioturbator||Not researched||Flexibility||High (>45 degrees)|
|Height||Not relevant||Growth Rate||Insufficient information|
|Adult dispersal potential||100-1000m||Dependency||Independent|
|General Biology Additional Information||Abundance
Occurs at high densities where environmental conditions are suitable. For example, Kuhl (1972) reported Magelona papillicormis at densities of 279 individuals per 0.1 m² on sandy muddy ground in the Elbe Estuary.
Magelona mirabilis feeds by gathering organic material from the sediment surface with its palps. When feeding on poorly sorted material, selectivity may be shown in that magelonids prefer to handle larger particles. Small crustaceans may also be taken as prey, for example, the mucous on the palps may trap a few harpacticoids although this is likely to be incidental (M. Kendall, pers. comm.). In well sorted sand, selectivity may be absent as particles with a high organic content have already been concentrated by other means (Fauchald & Jumars, 1979).
|Biology References||Hayward et al., 1996, Hayward & Ryland, 1995b, Fish & Fish, 1996, Fiege et al., 2000, Fauchald & Jumars, 1979, Kuhl, 1972, Niermann et al., 1990,|
|Distribution and Habitat|
|Distribution in Britain & Ireland||Expected to occur all around the coasts of Britain and Ireland where suitable substrata occur. Recorded patchily from all British and Irish coasts.|
|Global distribution||Recorded from North Sea coasts, the Baltic Sea, the Atlantic coast of France and the Mediterranean coast of France.|
|Biogeographic range||Not researched||Depth range||Mid shore to 32 m depth|
|Migratory||Non-migratory / Resident|
|Distribution Additional Information|
|Substratum preferences||Fine clean sand
Coarse clean sand
|Physiographic preferences||Open coast
Strait / sound
Enclosed coast / Embayment
|Biological zone||Lower Eulittoral
|Wave exposure||Very Exposed
|Tidal stream strength/Water flow||Strong (3-6 kn)
Moderately Strong (1-3 kn)
|Salinity||Variable (18-40 psu)
Full (30-40 psu)
|Habitat Preferences Additional Information||None entered|
|Distribution References||Hayward et al., 1996, Hayward & Ryland, 1995b, Fish & Fish, 1996, Fiege et al., 2000, JNCC, 1999, Picton & Costello, 1998, Lackschewitz & Reise, 1998,|
|Reproductive Season||Varies with geographic location.||Reproductive Location||Insufficient information|
|Reproductive frequency||Annual protracted||Regeneration potential||No|
|Life span||3-5 years||Age at reproductive maturity||Insufficient information|
|Generation time||1-2 years||Fecundity||Insufficient information|
|Egg/propagule size||Insufficient information||Fertilization type||External|
|Reproduction Preferences Additional Information||Reproductive data concerning Magelona mirabilis is scarce (Fiege et al., 2000). The data that is available suggests that the reproductive period in Magelona mirabilis varies with geographic location and the breeding season of many polychaetes is known to vary with latitude. Fiege et al. (2000) reported males with sperm masses in St. Andrews, Scotland, in March and females with eggs in Berwick-upon-Tweed in March whilst egg bearing females in Lancieux, France, were recorded in May.
It is generally agreed that Magelona mirabilis displays characteristics typical of an r-selected species, i.e. rapid reproduction, short life span and high dispersal potential (Krönke, 1990; Niermann et al., 1990), and is characteristic of shallow, disturbed, non-successional habitats (M. Kendall, pers. comm.).
|Reproduction References||Hayward & Ryland, 1995b, Fish & Fish, 1996, Fiege et al., 2000, Kuhl, 1972, Probert, 1981, Bosselmann, 1989, Kröncke, 1990, Niermann et al., 1990,|