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Tube dwellers without gills ( Abranchiata ) include the Bristleworms ( Chaetopterus), which differ markedly from all other members of the order and represent a separate family. With them, too, the body consists of three uneven divisions. The head of the species shown here is funnel-shaped, cut at the back and fitted with two probes here. The following 9 segments have elongated, flat foot stubs, which bear a bundle of brown brushes at the top edge. Very remarkable is the shape of the 5 segments of the middle section. The last 3 are missing the top foot stubs; those of the first two form a comb on the middle of the back with 2 feel-like protrusions, which extend far over the front part of the back. The lower stubs on the first segment are broad, curled towards the belly and joined here; on the other 4 segments they have a triangular shape and a sideways direction. The second segment is very swollen and purplish black in color. The posterior body part consists of about 50 members, which shine very wide due to the strongly laterally extended foot stubs. The animal in question was found in deep water on the coast of Normandy and in the Mediterranean Sea. It reaches 22 cm in length. and is surrounded by a 32 cM. long sleeve, made of a multi-layered material, resembling coarse, yellowish parchment.

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The Life of the Animals, Part 3, Chapter 6
The Worms
By AE Brehm
Captions are translated from the original Dutch by online means
Available from gutenberg.org

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Sunday 26 July 2020

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