WoRMS taxon details
Capitella Blainville, 1828
129211 (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:129211)
accepted
Genus
Lumbricus capitatus Fabricius, 1780 accepted as Capitella capitata (Fabricius, 1780) (type by monotypy)
Branchiocapitella Fauvel, 1932 · unaccepted (subjective synonym)
Capitellides Mesnil, 1897 · unaccepted (subjective synonym)
Capitomastus Eisig, 1887 · unaccepted (subjective synonym)
Isomastus Gravier, 1911 · unaccepted (subjective synonym)
Lumbriconais Örsted, 1842 · unaccepted (subjective synonym)
Matla Stephenson, 1908 · unaccepted (subjective synonym)
Valla Johnston, 1865 · unaccepted (subjective synonym)
- Species Capitella aberranta Hartman & Fauchald, 1971
- Species Capitella aciculata (Hartman, 1959)
- Species Capitella ambonensis Pamungkas, 2017
- Species Capitella aracaensis Silva & Amaral, 2017
- Species Capitella biota Silva & Amaral, 2017
- Species Capitella blakei Magalhäes & Hilliard, 2022
- Species Capitella capitata (Fabricius, 1780)
- Species Capitella caribaeorum Warren & George, 1986
- Species Capitella dizonata Johnson, 1901
- Species Capitella giardi (Mesnil, 1897)
- Species Capitella gomexa Hilliard, Hajduk, Méndez & Schulze, 2024
- Species Capitella gracilis (Verrill, 1879)
- Species Capitella hermaphrodita Boletzky & Dohle, 1967
- Species Capitella iatapiuna Silva, Shimabukuro, Alfaro-Lucas, Fujiwara, Sumida & Amaral, 2016
- Species Capitella jonesi (Hartman, 1959)
- Species Capitella loucindae Hilliard, Hajduk, Méndez & Schulze, 2024
- Species Capitella maculosa Hilliard, Hajduk, Méndez & Schulze, 2024
- Species Capitella mandingensis Hilliard, Hajduk, Méndez & Schulze, 2024
- Species Capitella minima Langerhans, 1880
- Species Capitella multibranchiata Magalhäes & Hilliard, 2022
- Species Capitella multioculata Perejaslavtseva, 1891
- Species Capitella neoaciculata Silva & Seixas, 2017
- Species Capitella nonatoi Silva & Amaral, 2017
- Species Capitella ovincola Hartman, 1947
- Species Capitella perarmata (Gravier, 1911)
- Species Capitella singularis (Fauvel, 1932)
- Species Capitella tampe Hilliard, Hajduk, Méndez & Schulze, 2024
- Species Capitella teleta Blake, Grassle & Eckelbarger, 2009
- Species Capitella teres (Treadwell, 1939)
- Species Capitella costana Claparède, 1869 accepted as Heteromastus filiformis (Claparède, 1864) (subjective synonym)
- Species Capitella fabricii Blainville, 1828 accepted as Capitella capitata (Fabricius, 1780) (unaccepted > junior objective synonym, Capitella fabricii is a superfluous replacement name for C capitata)
- Species Capitella filiformis Claparède, 1864 accepted as Heteromastus filiformis (Claparède, 1864) (superseded original combination)
- Species Capitella fimbriata Van Beneden, 1857 accepted as Heteromastus filiformis (Claparède, 1864) (subjective synonym)
- Species Capitella I [informal, 1976] accepted as Capitella teleta Blake, Grassle & Eckelbarger, 2009 (informal OTU)
- Species Capitella intermedia Czerniavsky, 1881 accepted as Capitella capitata (Fabricius, 1780) (subjective synonym)
- Species Capitella major Claparède, 1869 accepted as Notomastus profundus Eisig, 1887 (subjective synonym)
- Species Capitella prototypa Czerniavsky, 1881 accepted as Capitella capitata (Fabricius, 1780) (subjective synonym)
- Species Capitella rubicunda Keferstein, 1862 accepted as Notomastus latericeus Sars, 1851 (subjective synonym)
- Species Capitella similis Czerniavsky, 1881 accepted as Capitella capitata (Fabricius, 1780) (subjective synonym)
- Species Capitella perarmatus (Gravier, 1911) represented as Capitella perarmata (Gravier, 1911)
- Species Capitella tripartita Hartman, 1961 represented as Capitella capitata tripartita Hartman, 1961
marine, brackish, fresh, terrestrial
recent only
feminine
Blainville, H. M. D de [Henri-Marie Ducrotay]. (1828). Mollusques, Vers et Zoophytes <b>[entries in VEA-VERS, volume 57]</b>. <em>In: Dictionnaire des Sciences naturelles, dans lequel on traite méthodiquement des différens êtres de la nature, considérés soit en eux-memês, d'après l'état actuel de nos connoissances, soit relativement à l'utilité qu'en peuvent retirer la médicine, l'agriculture, le commerce et les arts. Suive d'une biographie des plus célèbres naturalistes.</em> vol. 57 [Tome LVII. Vea - Vers] F.G. Levrault, Strasbourg & Paris., available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/25316522
page(s): 443 [details]
page(s): 443 [details]
Description Two twin species can be found in the North Sea: Capitella capitata and Capitella minima. These two species are...
Distribution Barring a single exception the distribution of Capitella capitata/minima is limited to the near-coastal zone. In the...
Etymology Not stated. Blainville (1828) refers to an indistinct head and a 'Capitellum' is a neuter diminutive noun for a small head,...
Nomenclature When Blainville named genus Capitella he named the species as Capitella fabricii, a new name for Lumbricus capitatus, the...
Description Two twin species can be found in the North Sea: Capitella capitata and Capitella minima. These two species are morphologically very hard to distinguish from each other, hence we speak of a Capitella complex. Capitella looks like earthworms because the exterior appendages (parapodia and gills) are very much reduced. The body is rather fragile and may contract and/or expand. The head is built rather simply and tapers conically. The colour of the living specimens is purple. [details]
Distribution Barring a single exception the distribution of Capitella capitata/minima is limited to the near-coastal zone. In the...
Distribution Barring a single exception the distribution of Capitella capitata/minima is limited to the near-coastal zone. In the 1976-1986 period the complex was found in the entire near-coastal zone with a low frequency of occurrence. In the 1994-2001 period the complex of species had a higher relative
occurence, but its distribution was limited to the western near-coastal zone. Its maximum density
increased from 40 ind./m2 in the 1976-1986 period to 700 ind./m2 in the 1994-2001 period. [details]
occurence, but its distribution was limited to the western near-coastal zone. Its maximum density
increased from 40 ind./m2 in the 1976-1986 period to 700 ind./m2 in the 1994-2001 period. [details]
Etymology Not stated. Blainville (1828) refers to an indistinct head and a 'Capitellum' is a neuter diminutive noun for a small head,...
Etymology Not stated. Blainville (1828) refers to an indistinct head and a 'Capitellum' is a neuter diminutive noun for a small head, whereas Blainville appears to intend a feminine by using Capitella. He never uses 'capitata' as the species name however, including the species names Capitella fabricii and the original name Lumbricus capitatus [details]
Nomenclature When Blainville named genus Capitella he named the species as Capitella fabricii, a new name for Lumbricus capitatus, the...
Nomenclature When Blainville named genus Capitella he named the species as Capitella fabricii, a new name for Lumbricus capitatus, the species he was basing his new genus on. The 'fabricii' name is a superfluous replacement name and a junior objective synonym of Lumbricus capitatus. Sometimes early taxonomists may have invented new species group names to avoid creating tautonymous names (names in which genus and species are the same or little different, but it is not known if Blainville attempted a new species name for this reason. He could have instead used a different genus name.Almost no subsequent author adopted the name Capitella fabricii (but it was used by Grube, 1850: 352), but it was sometimes included as a synonym of Capitella capitata (eg Van Beneden, 1857). New names must be introduced for a stated reason (such as junior homonymy of the original name). It would be anarchy if original species-group names could be replaced by a different species-group name in later publications [details]
Read, G.; Fauchald, K. (Ed.) (2024). World Polychaeta Database. Capitella Blainville, 1828. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=129211 on 2024-10-30
Date
action
by
The webpage text is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
original description
Blainville, H. M. D de [Henri-Marie Ducrotay]. (1828). Mollusques, Vers et Zoophytes <b>[entries in VEA-VERS, volume 57]</b>. <em>In: Dictionnaire des Sciences naturelles, dans lequel on traite méthodiquement des différens êtres de la nature, considérés soit en eux-memês, d'après l'état actuel de nos connoissances, soit relativement à l'utilité qu'en peuvent retirer la médicine, l'agriculture, le commerce et les arts. Suive d'une biographie des plus célèbres naturalistes.</em> vol. 57 [Tome LVII. Vea - Vers] F.G. Levrault, Strasbourg & Paris., available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/25316522
page(s): 443 [details]
original description (of Capitellides Mesnil, 1897) Mesnil, Félix. (1897). Note sur un capitellien nouveau (<i>Capitellides</i> n. gen., <i>giardi</i> n. sp.). <em>Zoologischer Anzeiger.</em> 20(545): 441-443., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/9731056 [details]
original description (of Capitomastus Eisig, 1887) Eisig, H. 1887. Monographie der Capitelliden des Golfes von Neapel und der angrenzenden meeres-abschnitte nebst untersuchungen zur vergleichenden anatomie und physiologie. Fauna und Flora des Golfes von Neapel und der angrenzenden Meeres-Abschnitte, 16: xxvi + 906 pp. + 37 plates., available online at https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.7348
page(s): 290 [details]
original description (of Branchiocapitella Fauvel, 1932) Fauvel, Pierre. (1932). Annelida Polychaeta of the Indian Museum, Calcutta. <em>Memoirs of the Indian Museum.</em> 12(1): 1-262, plates I-IX., available online at http://faunaofindia.nic.in/PDFVolumes/memoirs/012/01/index.pdf
page(s): 197 [details] Available for editors
[request]
original description (of Isomastus Gravier, 1911) Gravier, C. (1911). Expédition Antarctique Française du "Pourquoi-Pas", dirigée par le Dr. J.-B. Charcot (1908-1910). Espèces nouvelles d'annélides polychètes. <em>Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris.</em> 17(5): 310-316., available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/34198359
page(s): 313-314 [details]
original description (of Lumbriconais Örsted, 1842) Örsted, A.S. (1842). Conspectus generum specierumque Naidum ad faunam Danicam pertinentium. <em>Naturhistorisk Tidsskrift Kobenhavn.</em> 4: 128-140., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2322848
page(s): 132 [details]
original description (of Matla Stephenson, 1908) Stephenson, J. (1908). The fauna of brackish ponds at Port Canning, Lower Bengal. Part VIII.—Preliminary description of an oligochæte worm of uncertain position. <em>Records of the Indian Museum, Calcutta.</em> 2(1): 39-42., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/35163802
page(s): 39-42 [details]
original description (of Valla Johnston, 1865) Johnston, G. (1865). A catalogue of the British non-parasitical worms in the collection of the British Museum. <em>[book].</em> 1-365. British Museum. London. [See also separate entry for Baird supplement]., available online at http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/12291
page(s): 67 [details]
additional source Fauchald, K. (1977). The polychaete worms, definitions and keys to the orders, families and genera. <em>Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County: Los Angeles, CA (USA), Science Series.</em> 28:1-188., available online at http://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/123110.pdf [details]
additional source Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). , available online at http://www.itis.gov [details]
additional source Bellan, G. (2001). Polychaeta, <i>in</i>: Costello, M.J. <i>et al.</i> (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. <em>Collection Patrimoines Naturels.</em> 50: 214-231. (look up in IMIS) [details]
additional source Brunel, P., L. Bosse & G. Lamarche. (1998). Catalogue of the marine invertebrates of the estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence. <em>Canadian Special Publication of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 126.</em> 405 pp. (look up in IMIS) [details] Available for editors [request]
identification resource Silva, Camila F.; Shimabukuro, Maurício; Alfaro-Lucas, Joan M.; Fujiwara, Yoshihiro; Sumida, Paulo Y.G.; Amaral, Antonia C.Z. (2016). A new <i>Capitella</i> polychaete worm (Annelida: Capitellidae) living inside whale bones in the abyssal South Atlantic. <em>Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers.</em> 108: 23-31., available online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2015.12.004
page(s): 28-29; note: synoptic table for all the hitherto known species [details] Available for editors [request]
identification resource Pamungkas, Joko. (2017). <em>Capitella</em> <em>ambonensis</em>: a new polychaete species (Annelida: Capitellidae) collected from a mangrove habitat on Ambon Island, Indonesia. <em>Zootaxa.</em> 4227(4): 573-582., available online at http://www.mapress.com/j/zt/article/view/zootaxa.4227.4.7
page(s): 579; note: Table of characters of Capitella species [details]
identification resource Silva, Camila F.; Seixas, Victor C.; Barroso, Rômulo; Di Domenico, Maikon; Amaral, Antonia C. Z.; Paiva, Paulo C. (2017). Demystifying the Capitella capitata complex (Annelida, Capitellidae) diversity by morphological and molecular data along the Brazilian coast. <em>PLOS ONE.</em> 12(5): e0177760., available online at http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/citation?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0177760
page(s): 7/32; note: Key to all Capitella [details]
page(s): 443 [details]
original description (of Capitellides Mesnil, 1897) Mesnil, Félix. (1897). Note sur un capitellien nouveau (<i>Capitellides</i> n. gen., <i>giardi</i> n. sp.). <em>Zoologischer Anzeiger.</em> 20(545): 441-443., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/9731056 [details]
original description (of Capitomastus Eisig, 1887) Eisig, H. 1887. Monographie der Capitelliden des Golfes von Neapel und der angrenzenden meeres-abschnitte nebst untersuchungen zur vergleichenden anatomie und physiologie. Fauna und Flora des Golfes von Neapel und der angrenzenden Meeres-Abschnitte, 16: xxvi + 906 pp. + 37 plates., available online at https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.7348
page(s): 290 [details]
original description (of Branchiocapitella Fauvel, 1932) Fauvel, Pierre. (1932). Annelida Polychaeta of the Indian Museum, Calcutta. <em>Memoirs of the Indian Museum.</em> 12(1): 1-262, plates I-IX., available online at http://faunaofindia.nic.in/PDFVolumes/memoirs/012/01/index.pdf
page(s): 197 [details] Available for editors
[request]original description (of Isomastus Gravier, 1911) Gravier, C. (1911). Expédition Antarctique Française du "Pourquoi-Pas", dirigée par le Dr. J.-B. Charcot (1908-1910). Espèces nouvelles d'annélides polychètes. <em>Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris.</em> 17(5): 310-316., available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/34198359
page(s): 313-314 [details]
original description (of Lumbriconais Örsted, 1842) Örsted, A.S. (1842). Conspectus generum specierumque Naidum ad faunam Danicam pertinentium. <em>Naturhistorisk Tidsskrift Kobenhavn.</em> 4: 128-140., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2322848
page(s): 132 [details]
original description (of Matla Stephenson, 1908) Stephenson, J. (1908). The fauna of brackish ponds at Port Canning, Lower Bengal. Part VIII.—Preliminary description of an oligochæte worm of uncertain position. <em>Records of the Indian Museum, Calcutta.</em> 2(1): 39-42., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/35163802
page(s): 39-42 [details]
original description (of Valla Johnston, 1865) Johnston, G. (1865). A catalogue of the British non-parasitical worms in the collection of the British Museum. <em>[book].</em> 1-365. British Museum. London. [See also separate entry for Baird supplement]., available online at http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/12291
page(s): 67 [details]
additional source Fauchald, K. (1977). The polychaete worms, definitions and keys to the orders, families and genera. <em>Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County: Los Angeles, CA (USA), Science Series.</em> 28:1-188., available online at http://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/123110.pdf [details]
additional source Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). , available online at http://www.itis.gov [details]
additional source Bellan, G. (2001). Polychaeta, <i>in</i>: Costello, M.J. <i>et al.</i> (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. <em>Collection Patrimoines Naturels.</em> 50: 214-231. (look up in IMIS) [details]
additional source Brunel, P., L. Bosse & G. Lamarche. (1998). Catalogue of the marine invertebrates of the estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence. <em>Canadian Special Publication of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 126.</em> 405 pp. (look up in IMIS) [details] Available for editors
[request]identification resource Silva, Camila F.; Shimabukuro, Maurício; Alfaro-Lucas, Joan M.; Fujiwara, Yoshihiro; Sumida, Paulo Y.G.; Amaral, Antonia C.Z. (2016). A new <i>Capitella</i> polychaete worm (Annelida: Capitellidae) living inside whale bones in the abyssal South Atlantic. <em>Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers.</em> 108: 23-31., available online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2015.12.004
page(s): 28-29; note: synoptic table for all the hitherto known species [details] Available for editors
[request]identification resource Pamungkas, Joko. (2017). <em>Capitella</em> <em>ambonensis</em>: a new polychaete species (Annelida: Capitellidae) collected from a mangrove habitat on Ambon Island, Indonesia. <em>Zootaxa.</em> 4227(4): 573-582., available online at http://www.mapress.com/j/zt/article/view/zootaxa.4227.4.7
page(s): 579; note: Table of characters of Capitella species [details]
identification resource Silva, Camila F.; Seixas, Victor C.; Barroso, Rômulo; Di Domenico, Maikon; Amaral, Antonia C. Z.; Paiva, Paulo C. (2017). Demystifying the Capitella capitata complex (Annelida, Capitellidae) diversity by morphological and molecular data along the Brazilian coast. <em>PLOS ONE.</em> 12(5): e0177760., available online at http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/citation?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0177760
page(s): 7/32; note: Key to all Capitella [details]
Present Inaccurate Introduced: alien Containing type locality
From editor or global species database
Description Two twin species can be found in the North Sea: Capitella capitata and Capitella minima. These two species are morphologically very hard to distinguish from each other, hence we speak of a Capitella complex. Capitella looks like earthworms because the exterior appendages (parapodia and gills) are very much reduced. The body is rather fragile and may contract and/or expand. The head is built rather simply and tapers conically. The colour of the living specimens is purple. [details]Distribution Barring a single exception the distribution of Capitella capitata/minima is limited to the near-coastal zone. In the 1976-1986 period the complex was found in the entire near-coastal zone with a low frequency of occurrence. In the 1994-2001 period the complex of species had a higher relative
occurence, but its distribution was limited to the western near-coastal zone. Its maximum density
increased from 40 ind./m2 in the 1976-1986 period to 700 ind./m2 in the 1994-2001 period. [details]
Etymology Not stated. Blainville (1828) refers to an indistinct head and a 'Capitellum' is a neuter diminutive noun for a small head, whereas Blainville appears to intend a feminine by using Capitella. He never uses 'capitata' as the species name however, including the species names Capitella fabricii and the original name Lumbricus capitatus [details]
Grammatical gender apparently feminine as Blainville formulates the name as Capitella instead of the neuter Capitellum [details]
Habitat Capitella capitata/minima is found in all sediment types present on the Belgian part of the North Sea. Although this species occurs in very fine to coarse sediments, it tends to prefer fine-grained sediments with a median grain size of 50-250 µm. Capitella capitata/minima is almost completely absent in sediments without mud. The maximum relative occurrence (> 60%) is observed in sediments with a mud content of 10-20% whereas C. capitata/minima has a relative occurrence of 20 to 30% in sediments with higher mud contents. [details]
Nomenclature When Blainville named genus Capitella he named the species as Capitella fabricii, a new name for Lumbricus capitatus, the species he was basing his new genus on. The 'fabricii' name is a superfluous replacement name and a junior objective synonym of Lumbricus capitatus. Sometimes early taxonomists may have invented new species group names to avoid creating tautonymous names (names in which genus and species are the same or little different, but it is not known if Blainville attempted a new species name for this reason. He could have instead used a different genus name.Almost no subsequent author adopted the name Capitella fabricii (but it was used by Grube, 1850: 352), but it was sometimes included as a synonym of Capitella capitata (eg Van Beneden, 1857). New names must be introduced for a stated reason (such as junior homonymy of the original name). It would be anarchy if original species-group names could be replaced by a different species-group name in later publications [details]
From regional or thematic species database
Introduced species vector dispersal Galapagos part of the South Pacific Ocean (Marine Region) Ships: accidental as attached or free-living fouling organisms [details]Introduced species vector dispersal Galapagos part of the South Pacific Ocean (Marine Region) Ships: accidental with ballast water, sea water systems, live wells or other deck basins [details]
