Beddard, 1888b
Description
Small worms. Prostomium roundish triangular, slightly broader than subsequent segments; ventral ciliar field hardly extending onto lateral portions of dorsal side. Sensory pits dorsolateral, oval, not connected with ciliated field. Intersegmental furrows distinct. Posterior end shortly bilobate. Cutaneous glands of irregular shape, numerous, coloured in different shades of green, each equipped with colourless satellite cell; also, numerous colourless glands. Hair chaetae very fine and flexible, usually 4-6 per bundle, of two lengths: 150-400, and 75-200 µm. Length of a chain of 3-4 zooids up to 4 mm, width 0.15-0.20 mm; length of the first zooid up to 2 mm, segment number 9-11. Differing from the other small green congeners, Aeolosoma variegatum and Aeolosoma viride, primarily in the somewhat bigger segment number. The third relative, Aeolosoma marcusi, is considerably larger, and its segment number is larger; also, it has well developed dissepiments and vascular system, but lacks additional cells in cutaneous glands. There has been a nomenclature-related confusion with this species. Van der Land, 1971 discovered that Beddard, 1888 had described originally, under the name Aeolosoma headleyi, a smaller form identical to Aeolosoma bengalense Stephenson, 1911. Hence Aeolosoma bengalense should serve as a junior synonym of Aeolosoma headleyi, while the larger form, described thoroughly by Marcus, 1944 as Aeolosoma headleyi (and subsequently named so by Bunke, 1967, as well as several other authors), should bear another name, Aeolosoma marcusi Van der Land, 1971.
Gliding on substratum.
Distribution
Europe, Asia, South America.
Ecology
In freshwater.
Reproduction
Asexual reproduction by paratomy (budding) prevailing. Maturing seldom.
Literature
Beddard, 1888b: 213-217, Pl. XII; Stephenson, 1911b: 204-205; Marcus, 1944: 12, 16-17, Fig. 2A-B; Bunke, 1967: 229-235, Figs 17-18; Van der Land, 1971: 677; Kasprzak, 1981: 78-79, Figs 112-117.