Tomopteris (Neo-Latin from Greek meaning "a cut" + "wing" but taken to mean "fin") is a genus of marine planktonic polychaete. All described species are known to be holopelagic, meaning that they spend their entire life cycles in the water column.E. Newton Harvey had noted the unusual, yellow bioluminescence occurring from the parapodia. There are very few known marine animals that exhibit yellow luminescence. Many species of plankton are known to display this property of bioluminescence.