All members of the family Sigalionidae, including this species, are active, free-living predators taking a variety of small invertebrates (Hartmann-Schröder, 1971; Wolff, 1973; Curtis, 1977; Fauchald & Jumars, 1979; Bosselmann, 1991). [details]

Description: A small bristle worm, usually not larger than 10 mm. The body is flat, elongated and covered with soft scales (elytra) on the dorsal side. The head has four small eyes and one median antenna. Its colour ranges from colourless, flesh colour, greenish to black; the elytra are brownish speckled. [details]

Distribution: In the 1976-1986 period Pholoe minuta was found across the entire Belgian part of the North Sea with a low frequency of occurrence. In the 1994-2001 period this wide distribution was limited to especially the western near-coastal zone, which was characterised by a relatively high frequency of occurrence. The density of P. minuta during both periods was relatively low (maximum 100 ind./m2). [details]

Distribution: The distribution of P. minuta in the area comprises the brackish waters of the Delta area and the Wadden Sea, the coastal zone and the Oyster Ground, where the species is quite abundant. lt is absent from the clean sandy substrates in a large part of the Southern Bight. [details]

Distribution: Arctic; Iceland, Norway to France; Labrador to Long Island Sound, Bering Sea to Central California, n. Japan Sea [details]

Habitat: intertidal, bathyal, infralittoral and circalittoral of the Gulf and estuary [details]

Habitat: P. minuta prefers to live in very fine sand with more than 10% mud. It is also recorded from under stones, among old shells, in empty tubes of Sabellaria spinulosa and in black anoxic mud (Hartmann-Schröder, 1971; Hayward & Ryland, 1990). [details]

Habitat: Pholoe minuta is found in sediments with a median grain size ranging from 100 to 500 μm, but displays a slight preference for fine-grained sediments (100 to 250 μm). However, the relative occurrence of the species remains low at all times (< 20%). With regard to the mud content the P. minuta displays a clear preference for sediments with a mud content up to 50%. [details]

Habitat: Known from the nearshore. [details]

Morphology: A small species, usually not more than 1 cm long. The body is flat, oblong and on the dorsal side covered with soft scales (elytra). In contrast to Harmothoe species the elytra leave the mid-dorsal part of the body free. The head bears four small eyes and one median antenna. The 40-60 elytra show concentric rings. The worm is black and pale pink, the elytra speckled with rusty brown (Hartmann-Schröder, 1971; Hayward & Ryland, 1990). [details]

Taxonomy: this species does NOT !! occur in European waters; misidentification with several other Pholoe species possible (cf. Petersen 1998)) (R. Barnich) [details]