Aeolosoma

Last updated

Aeolosoma
Aeolosoma foraging for food
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Annelida
Class: Polychaeta
Order: incertae sedis
Family: Aeolosomatidae
Genus: Aeolosoma
Ehrenberg, 1828 [1]
Aeolosoma hemprichi under a microscope Aeolosoma hemprichi beniaburamimizu.jpg
Aeolosoma hemprichi under a microscope

Aeolosoma is a genus of minute annelid worms, variously attributed either to oligochaetes or polychaetes. Unlike most polychaetes, they reside in freshwater environments in various parts of the world.

Contents

Aeolosoma usually reproduce asexually. [2] This is done by paratomy or Fragmentation (reproduction), when the posterior segments are separated from the parent worm. It starts when the worm reaches a certain number of millimeters (depending on the species). [3] Only one species, Aeolosoma singulare, is known to reproduce sexually. [4]

Aeolosoma feed on microalgae, microorganisms and detritus. [5] Their mouth acts like a small vacuum cleaner, which helps them suck up their food into their system. [6]

Morphology

Aeolosoma are transparent worms, very thin and of the length of 1.5–2 millimetres, although some can reach up to 5 millimetres. [7] Their bodies are transparent and segmented, usually comprising around 17 segments. Each segment, except for the first, consists of bundles of bristle-like structures known as setae or chaetae, which aid in locomotion. [8]

The Prostomium (head region) is broader than the subsequent segments and is equipped with ventral cilia that facilitate movement and feeding, Notably, Aeolosoma lacks appendages on the head and parapodia (lateral outgrowths) found in some other annelids. The integument contains pigmented epidermal glands filled with coloured oil droplets, which can be red, yellow, green, or occasionally colourless, giving the worms a distinctive hue. [9]

Aeolosoma exhibits a high capacity for regeneration, with some species capable of regrowing both anterior and posterior segments within a week after amputation. [10]

Habitat and Distribution

Aeolosoma species are predominantly found in freshwater environments, including streams, rivers, lakes, and other water bodies rich in organic matter. They inhabit sediments, often residing among aquatic plants and detritus-rich sands. For example, Aeolosoma gertae is commonly found in fish ponds, rivers, lakes, and other freshwater bodies in Bangladesh. [11]

Geographically, Aeolosoma species have a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring in various regions worldwide. They were discovered in alpine habitats in Europe, specifically near Italy, [12] while also occurring in water systems in New York. [13] Their widespread presence and distribution is attributed to their small size, reproductive strategies, and ability to inhabit diverse environments, including sediments rich in organic matter.

Species

Below is a list of species in the genus Aeolosoma. [14]

References

  1. ↑ "Aeolosoma Ehrenberg, 1828". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  2. ↑ Marescalchi, Ombretta; Gugnali, Andrea; Falconi, Rosanna (September 2008). "First Report on the Chromosomes of Aeolosoma viride and Aeolosoma hemprichi (Aeolosomatidae; Annelida)" . Zoological Science. 25 (9): 904–906. doi:10.2108/zsj.25.904. ISSN   0289-0003. PMID   19267599. S2CID   46294461.
  3. ↑ Falconi, Rosana; Gugnali, Andrea; Zaccanti, Francesco (12 May 2015). "Quantitative observations on asexual reproduction of Aeolosoma viride (Annelida, Aphanoneura)" . Invertebrate Biology. 134 (2): 151–161. doi:10.1111/ivb.12087.
  4. ↑ Falconi, Rosanna; Renzulli, Tommaso; Zaccanti, Francesco (July 2006). "Survival and Reproduction in Aeolosoma viride (Annelida, Aphanoneura)" . Hydrobiologia. 564 (1): 95–99. doi:10.1007/s10750-005-1711-2. ISSN   0018-8158. S2CID   2477206.
  5. ↑ "Aeolosomatidae data - Encyclopedia of Life". eol.org. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  6. ↑ Singer, Robert (January 1978). "Suction-Feeding in Aeolosoma (Annelida)" . Transactions of the American Microscopical Society. 97 (1): 105–111. doi:10.2307/3225689. ISSN   0003-0023. JSTOR   3225689.
  7. ↑ creaturefact. "Aeolosoma". The Occasional Creature Fact. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  8. ↑ "Aeolosoma". MicroscopyU. Nikon Instruments Inc. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
  9. ↑ "Aeolosoma". Protozoa and Microscopic Invertebrates Image Database (in Japanese). National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES), Japan. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
  10. ↑ Lin, Andrew; Chiu, Yu-Chun; Chen, Jung-Hsien; Chang, Ching-Ho (2021). "Studying Annelida Regeneration in a Novel Model Organism: The Freshwater Aeolosoma viride". In Rink, Jochen C. (ed.). Planarian Regeneration: Methods and Protocols. Methods in Molecular Biology. Vol. 2219. Springer. pp. 429–438. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
  11. ↑ "Aeolosoma gertae". Bangladesh Freshwater Biodiversity. IUCN Bangladesh. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
  12. ↑ Martin, Przemysław; Rota, Elena (2020). "Aeolosoma species (Annelida, Aeolosomatidae) from alpine habitats in northern Italy, with notes on distribution and ecology". Journal of Limnology. 79 (3): 2148. doi:10.4081/jlimnol.2020.2148 . Retrieved 2025-03-26.
  13. ↑ Mack, F.A. (1971). "Aeolosomatidae (Annelida: Oligochaeta) from Underground Waters in New York" . The American Midland Naturalist. 85 (1): 219–221. doi:10.2307/2425815. JSTOR   2425815 . Retrieved 2025-03-26.
  14. ↑ "Aeolosoma". Invertebase. Retrieved 2025-03-26.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.