Osedax rubiplumus

Osedax rubiplumus is a species of bathypelagic Polychaetes that is reported to sustain itself on the bones of dead whales.

Osedax rubiplumus
Osedax rubiplumus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Annelida
Class:	Polychaeta
Order:	Sabellida
Family:	Siboglinidae
Genus:	Osedax Rouse et al., 2004[1]
Species:	O. rubiplumus
Binomial name
Osedax rubiplumus Rouse, Goffredi & Vrijenhoek, 2004[2]

Description

Their paedomorphic males are 0.4–1.1 millimetres (0.016–0.043 in), and have an incompleted prototroch with a posterior hooked chaeta. The species have 16 hooks with 6-8 capitium teeth, which have handles that are 18–23 micrometres (0.00071–0.00091 in). The female ovisac is measured 8 mm by 4 mm by 0.3 mm, with four posterior roots which have spherical lobes. They also have a trunk which is 3.8 centimetres (1.5 in) in length and 2 millimetres (0.079 in) wide with the crown plumes which are 2.1 centimetres (0.83 in) in length.[3] The species is found in East North Pacific where it is abundant.[2] They are used in Calmodulin.[4]

References

1. G. W. Rouse; S. K. Goffredi & R. C. Vrijenhoek (2004). "Osedax: Bone-Eating Marine Worms with Dwarf Males". Science. 305 (5684): 668–671. doi:10.1126/science.1098650. PMID 15286372. S2CID 34883310.
2. Rouse, G.W.; Goffredi, S.K. & Vrijenhoek, R.C. (2004). "Osedax rubiplumus Rouse, Goffredi & Vrijenhoek, 2004". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
3. Chris Allen. "Osedax rubiplumus". Archived from the original on April 15, 2013. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
4. "C7BAI6". Retrieved March 20, 2013.