Leucia is a genus of marine polychaete worms belonging to the family Polynoidae, the scaleworms. Leucia contains 2 species, both found in the northern Atlantic Ocean. This genus is distinguished from the closely related genus Harmothoe by having sixteen pairs of elytra, as opposed to fifteen.[1]

Leucia
Leucia nivea (Polynoidae)
Leucia nivea (Polynoidae)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Annelida
Clade: Pleistoannelida
Subclass: Errantia
Order: Phyllodocida
Family: Polynoidae
Genus: Leucia
Malmgren, 1867
Type species
Polynoe nivea
Sars, 1863

Description

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Body short, 41 to 50 segments, 16 pairs of elytra. Anterior margin of prostomium with pair of acute anterior peaks. Lateral antennae inserted ventrally (beneath prostomium and median antenna). Antennae, palps, dorsal and ventral cirri papillated. First segment with chaetae. Notochaetae distinctly thicker than neurochaetae. Unidentate and bidentate neurochaetae present.

Species

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The World Register of Marine Species includes the following species in the genus:[2]

References

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  1. ^ Fiege, Dieter; Barnich, Ruth. (2009). Polynoidae (Annelida: Polychaeta) associated with cold-water coral reefs of the northeast Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. Zoosymposia. 2 : 149–164.
  2. ^ Read, Geoffrey B.; Fauchald, Kristian (2020). "The World Polychaeta Database".