Leptosynapta inhaerens

(O.F. Müller, 1776)

Description
Body slender, soft, up to 300 mm in length; coloured faint pinkish.

Tentacles
There are 12 tentacles, each with 5-7 pairs of digits. The large outmost digit is unpaired (L. inhaerens tentacles).

Tube-feet
This species lacks tube-feet.

Skin
The skin contains calcareous deposits which consist of anchors and anchor plates. The anchor is usually narrower than the anchor plate. The anchor plate has 6 (sometimes 7) serrate holes around a central hole (L. inhaerens spicules).

Habitat
This species lives burried in sand or mud, or among Zostera ; from lower shore down to about 50 m, although it has been recorded at a depth of 173 m in the Bay of Biscay (Mortensen, 1927).

Distribution
In the North Sea this species is found from the Shetland Islands down to Northumberland on the British east coast. Elsewhere it is distributed from Norway and the British west coasts down to Brittany.

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