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Emplectonema gracile
Size:
E. gracile grows up to 50 cm long and 2 mm wide, although it is usually somewhat smaller.
Range:
Found from the Aleutian Islands and coastal Alaska to Ensenada, Mexico. Reported in Chile. Also found along the coast of Northern Europe to the Mediterranean.
Habitat:
Found under rocks, vegetation and in mussel masses throughout the intertidal zone and below.
Identification:
Color varies from yellowish green to dark green dorsally with pale greenish, yellowish or white underbelly. May be pinkish when gravid. Young are also pinkish. E. gracile is very long and thin, and has mild to moderate dorso-ventral flattening.
Life History:
Young are sexually mature by 5-10cm. May reproduce sexually or asexually by fragmentation.
Natural History:
E. gracile feeds on barnacles, certain limpets, and gastropod eggs. It captures prey with a long eversible proboscis armed with a sharp stylet.
Predators:
E. gracile has few known predators. However, other Emplectonemids are known to be eaten by other ribbon worms of the genus Cerebratulus.
Links:
http://www.nwmarinelife.com/htmlswimmers/e_gracile.html
Suggested Reading:
Coe, W. R. 1940. Alan Hancock Pacific Expeditions: Revision of the Nemertean Fauna of the Pacific Coasts of North, Central, and Northern South America. University of California Press. Los Angeles, CA. pp. 247-323.
Last updated Tuesday, October 03, 2006, by Lisa Ferrier
