Category: Ribbon Worms view all from this category

Description 48" (122 cm) long, 5/8" (16 mm) wide. Cylindrical and firm at front end; flat, wide, and soft, very thin at the edges over most of the length; tail present, head shaped like a spearhead, wider than adjacent body. Milky white, yellowish, or pinkish in young forms, mature males red, females brownish. Deep longitudinal sensory grooves on head. No eyespots; mouth an elongate slit.

Habitat Burrowing in sand or sandy mud, under rocks, in shelterd bays and estuaries; near low-tide line and below.

Range Maine to Florida and Texas.

Discussion This nemertean is by far the largest ribbon worm on the Atlantic Coast of the United States. The California Swimming Nemertean (C. californiensis) is 36" (91 cm) long and 1/2" (13 mm) wide. It is similar in shape to C. lacteus, and its color varies from pale yellow, rosy cream, and buff to light brown and chocolate. It burrows in soft, sandy or muddy bottoms in protected bays from near low-tide line to water 150' (46 m) deep, and ranges from Washington to California.