Ophryotrocha maculata Akesson 1973

Ophryotrocha maculata Åkesson, 1973

Material examined: Northern North Atlantic, coastal Skagerrak, 58° 53.1’ N; 11° 06.4’ E. Specimens recovered from minke whale bones in experimental aquarium tanks.

Remarks: As with Palpiphitime lobifera this species was abundant on the whale bones. Both species have been described from anthropogenically enriched sediments such as pulp mill discharge. The discovery of dense populations of these two species actively feeding on mat-forming filamentous bacteria at whale falls suggest that they are important species for ecosystem function in terms of the degradation of high molecular weight organic compounds.