Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
scale worm
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Videos
View a Red scale worm found near hydrothermal vents of the northeastern Pacific Ocean
Quizzes
Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters
Animal Group Names
Lion (panthera leo)
Deadliest Animals Quiz
Mute swan with cygnet. (birds)
Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz
vulture. An adult bearded vulture at a raptor recovery center. The Gypaetus barbatus also known as the Lammergeier or Lammergeyer, is a bird of prey and considered an Old World vulture.
Animal Factoids
Read Next
Cook Strait giant weta (Deinacrida rugosa) found on Matiu/Somes Island in the harbour of Wellington, New Zealand. Dec. 17, 2009 insect
Big Bugs and Colossal Crabs: 7 Invertebrates of Unusual Size
Praying mantis (sphodromantis gastrica)
Why Do Some Animals Eat Their Mates After Sex?
Discover
Orange basketball on black background and with low key lighting. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
The 10 Greatest Basketball Players of All Time
January 21, 2019: Superbowl LIII will be played at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday, February 3, 2019 against the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams.
What Was the Super Bowl’s First Blockbuster Commercial?
Sailboat against a beautiful landscape
Which Waters Do You Pass Through When You “Sail the Seven Seas”?
Remarkable new details of Pluto's largest moon Charon are revealed in this image from New Horizons' Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), taken late on July 13, 2015 from a distance of 289,000 miles
Why Is Pluto No Longer a Planet?
Attack on Pearl Harbor. December 7, 1941. Pearl Harbor infographic. World War II. Hawaii. United States. Japan. SPOTLIGHT VERSION
Attack on Pearl Harbor Timeline
Small, white rat (genus Rattus) on a glass table. (rodent, laboratory, experiment)
Cruel and Unusual Punishments: 15 Types of Torture
Secret Service Agent Listens To Earpiece
Secret Service Code Names of 11 U.S. Presidents

scale worm

annelid
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/animal/scale-worm
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Also known as: Aphroditoidea
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History
View a Red scale worm found near hydrothermal vents of the northeastern Pacific Ocean
View a Red scale worm found near hydrothermal vents of the northeastern Pacific OceanRed scale worm (Levensteiniella kincaidi) found near hydrothermal vents of the northeastern Pacific Ocean.
See all videos for this article

scale worm, any member of the superfamily Aphroditoidea (class Polychaeta, phylum Annelida), a group of widely distributed free-moving, segmented marine worms that possess dorsal scales. Scale worms range in size from 0.5 to 25 cm (about 0.2 to 10 inches). The superfamily is made up of several dozen genera and also includes the sea mouse (q.v.), Aphrodita.

The somewhat arched back of the scale worm is covered with flattened pairs of overlapping scales (elytra). A proboscis, or snout, which can be extended, has soft, fingerlike projections and four horny jaws.

This article was most recently revised and updated by John P. Rafferty.