"Boccardia proboscidea is a spionid worm that creates burrows varying in shape and size. These burrows are made in sediments, soft rock and mollusk shells. It has a yellow-green body, with two long black lines along the sides of the head and mouth area. The prostomium (head segment) is rounded. It has 4 eyes, and a modified 5th segment. This segment has reduced parapodial (foot) lobes and two major types of spines: simple and bristle topped. The posterior end (pygidium) has four distinctive lobes" (NIMPIS Boccardia proboscidea species summary).
"World distribution includes New Zealand and elsewhere. Global distribution includes New Zealand mainland, Australia, within south east coast and Tasmanian zone, North America, and on the Pacific coast" (G. Reads).
"Populations have been reported from widely different habitats including mudflats, sandy harbours, seagrass beds, amongst barnacles, in coralline algae, Macrocystis holdfasts, sandstone or sedimentary rocks, shale and limestone reefs,sewage outfalls and gastropod shells inhabited by hermit crabs" (Gibson, Paterson, Taylor, and Woolridge).
"B. proboscidea has separate sexes, with eggs being retained in the body cavity, and egg capsules deposited in adult burrows. These particular species are able to produce planktonic or benthic larvae depending on the environmental conditions. The spionid polychaete Boccardia proboscidea Hartman, 1940 exhibits development that varies both within a single brood and among broods produced by different females. Some females have planktotrophic development and produce many small larvae with a 2 week planktonic period before metamorphosis. Other females produce broods containing both planktotrophic larvae as well as nurse-egg-ingesting (adelphophagic) offspring that hatch as juveniles" (Gibson, Paterson, Taylor, and Woolridge).
