Life history of a sternaspid polychaete

What is it about?

Polychaetes are an important component of coastal ecosystems. This paper describes the life history (especially reproductive features, longevity and recruitments) of a sternaspid worm in Ariake Bay, Japan.

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Why is it important?

Sternaspid worms occur from world wide ocean, and they can be an indicator species of ecosystem health of coastal waters. However, their life history ecology, especially reproductive features, has been poorly understood. This paper firstly describes in Sternaspis costata, when they reproduce and offsprings recruit, how many times they reproduce in their life, and how long they live.