Ophryotrocha puerilis

Ophryotrocha puerilis
	Ophryotrocha puerilis at bottom right
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Annelida
Class:	Polychaeta
Order:	Eunicida
Family:	Dorvilleidae
Genus:	Ophryotrocha
Species:	O. puerilis
Binomial name
	Ophryotrocha puerilis; Claparède & Mecznikow, 1869
Synonyms
	Paractius mutabilis Saint-Joseph, 1888; Staurocephalus minimus Langerhans, 1884;

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]

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]

References

^ ^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.

[WoRMS-1] Read, Geoffrey (2010). "Ophryotrocha puerilis Claparède & Mecznikow, 1869". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 5 September 2017.

[Dorresteijn-2] 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.

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