Size and age structure of the scaleworms Lepidonotus squamatus and Harmothoe imbricata (Polychaeta, Polynoidae) in the White Sea [Russian]

摘要

Thi size and age structure of Lepidonotus squamatus and Harmothoe imbircata populations were studied in mussel collectors established in the Kandalaksha Bay (the White Sea) in July of 1996 and 1997. Five age and size groups were distinguished in the L. squamatus population. The accordance between these groups by the "probability paper" method and counting of growth lines on labial plates of jaws is demonstrated. The formation of the first growth line takes place in the period between the first and second years of life. The maximum life span of this species is not more than five years. The number of growth lines on the jaws of H. imbricata varies from 0 to 3. The formation of the firts growth line occurs in the first year of life. The maximum life span is three years.