Pettibone's Polychaete

An early photograph of Lepidonotopodium fimbriatum from Pettibone’s 1984 publication where the new species was described. The left photograph shows the dorsal (back) side of the organism, which is covered with overlapping scales. The right photograph shows the ventral (underside) of the worm. At the top, you can see two antennae and the inverted mouth of the worm, which has an extendable pharynx tipped with serrated jaws. This worm exhibited features not often found in scale worms, but more commonly present in non-scaled polychaetes from other deep-sea environments, suggesting evolution resulting from similar adaptation to the extreme pressures of the deep.