Epitoky

Epitoky is a form of reproduction observed in polychaete marine worms. The worms undergo a partial or complete transformation into an epitoke, a pelagic morph capable of sexual reproduction.

Often an epitoke is the posterior part of the worm, which separates from the anterior part (called the atoke); gametes are produced inside the epitoke. The epitoke may also form by asexual budding from the posterior.