(Rathke, 1843)
Description:
Attains a length of 30-60 cm, but is only 1-2 mm wide. The elongate head is marginally broader than the succeeding trunk regions and bears 6-15 eyes in a dorsolateral row on each side (L. lacteus-detail). The mouth is located some distance behind the cerebral ganglia in contrast to the usual immediate post-cerebral position in other lineids. Behind the cerebral ganglia, the pale pink to reddish colouration of the head gradually fades to a uniform white or pale creamish-yellow; the tip of the snout and the tail are translucent (L. lacteus). Dermis without connective tissue layer. Proboscis extraordinarily slender, with two muscle layers.
Habitat:
Has been found sublittorally to intertidally, on gravel, sand or beneath stones.
Distribution:
The geographic distribution extends from the British and French Atlantic coasts to the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Lineus lacteus is apparently much more common on Mediterranean than on Atlantic coasts.