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 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Annelida |
| Clade: | Pleistoannelida |
| Subclass: | Errantia |
| Order: | Eunicida |
| Family: | Dorvilleidae |
| Genus: | Ophryotrocha |
| Species: | O. puerilis
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| Binomial name | |
| Ophryotrocha puerilis Claparède & Mecznikow, 1869 [1]
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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Biology
editOphryotrocha 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]
References
edit- ^ a b c Read, Geoffrey (2010). "Ophryotrocha puerilis Claparède & Mecznikow, 1869". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
- ^ Dorresteijn, Adriaan W.C.; Westheide, Wilfried (2013). Reproductive Strategies and Developmental Patterns in Annelids. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 15. ISBN 978-94-017-2887-4.