(Kölliker, 1845)
Description:
This large species may attain a length of over 75 cm and a width of 5 mm (T. suberbus). The body is firm in consistency, gradually narrowing behind the distinct rounded head to a bluntly pointed tail. The colour is a rich dark brown, reddish-brown, scarlet or cherry-red, marked with mid-ventral, mid-dorsal and lateral longitudinal white or yellowish-golden stripes and large number of white rings. The first two or three rings are fairly widely spaced, whereas the rest of the rings are closer together and more or less uniformly distributed along the body. Occasional rings may appear double.
In many ways resembling Tubulanus annulatus . The presence of or absence of the distinct median ventral longitudinal stripe may easily separate these two species.
The inner circular muscle layer of the body wall is well developed. Lateral sensory organs are present (T. superbus-anterior end). Cephalic glands are absent.
The animal secretes a mucoid sheath to which sand and other particles adhere. Around the British Isles spawns during June and July.
Habitat:
Sometimes found intertidally, the species is much more commonly obtained by dredging on sandy or gravelly sediments at depths of up to 80 m or more.
Distribution:
Extends from the Mediterranean to the Channel coasts of France, the British Isles and northwards to Scandinavia.