Alitta virens

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Alitta virens
Nereis virens.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Annelida
Clade: Pleistoannelida
Subclass: Errantia
Order: Phyllodocida
Family: Nereididae
Genus: Alitta
Species:
A. virens
Binomial name
Alitta virens
(M. Sars, 1835)  [1]
Synonyms [1]
  • Nereis virens M. Sars, 1835
  • Neanthes virens (M. Sars, 1835)
  • Nereis paucidentata Treadwell, 1939 *
  • Nereis dyamushi Izuka, 1912 *
  • Nereis grandis Stimpson, 1854 *
  • Nereis southerniAbdel-Moez & Humphries, 1955 *
  • Nereis yankiana Quatrefages, 1866 *

Alitta virens (common names include sandworm, sea worm, and king ragworm; older scientific names, including Nereis virens, are still frequently used) is an annelid worm that burrows in wet sand and mud. They construct burrows of different shapes (I,U,J and Y) [2] They range from being very complex to very simple. Long term burrows are held together by mucus. Their burrows are not connected to each other; they are generally solitary creatures. The spacing between the burrows depends on how readily they can propagate water signals. [2]

It was first described by biologist Michael Sars in 1835. [3] It is classified as a polychaete in the family Nereididae. [1]

Sandworms make up a large part of the live sea-bait industry. To fulfill the needs of this industry, some sandworms are commercially grown. [4] Sandworming, the harvesting of sandworms from mudflats, employs over 1,000 people in Maine, US. As of 2006, the population of sandworms had diminished greatly over the preceding few years due in large part to overharvesting before the worms are able to reproduce by spawning.[ citation needed ] Sandworms are also very essential to the study of the investigation of metal uptake in marine biology. [5] They are vital to evaluate the effects of metals in marine organisms. [6]

Sandworms eat seaweed and microorganisms. Sandworms are known to be omnivores. Their diet consists of surface sediment, plant and animal remains. They are oftentimes exposed to metals through their diet and their burrowing tactics. [5] They have many distinctive traits, including:

The parapodia function both as external gills (the animal's primary respiratory surfaces), and as means of locomotion (appearing much like short legs).[ citation needed ]

Usually, sandworms are gonochoric, meaning that they reproduce sexually between the males and females of the species. Sandworms reproduce via a process termed 'swarming'. The female sandworm releases pheromones that attract males to release sperm. Then, the female sandworm ejects eggs to have them fertilized. The production of gametes occurs via the metanephridia gland. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polychaete</span> Class of annelid worms

Polychaeta is a paraphyletic class of generally marine annelid worms, commonly called bristle worms or polychaetes. Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia that bear many bristles, called chaetae, which are made of chitin. More than 10,000 species are described in this class. Common representatives include the lugworm and the sandworm or clam worm Alitta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nereididae</span> Family of annelid worms

Nereididae are a family of polychaete worms. It contains about 500 – mostly marine – species grouped into 42 genera. They may be commonly called ragworms or clam worms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eunicidae</span> Family of annelids

Eunicidae is a family of marine polychaetes. The family comprises marine annelids distributed in diverse benthic habitats across Oceania, Europe, South America, North America, Asia and Africa. The Eunicid anatomy typically consists of a pair of appendages near the mouth (mandibles) and complex sets of muscular structures on the head (maxillae) in an eversible pharynx. One of the most conspicuous of the eunicids is the giant, dark-purple, iridescent "Bobbit worm", a bristle worm found at low tide under boulders on southern Australian shores. Its robust, muscular body can be as long as 2 m. Eunicidae jaws are known from as far back as Ordovician sediments. Cultural tradition surrounds Palola worm reproductive cycles in the South Pacific Islands. Eunicidae are economically valuable as bait in both recreational and commercial fishing. Commercial bait-farming of Eunicidae can have adverse ecological impacts. Bait-farming can deplete worm and associated fauna population numbers, damage local intertidal environments and introduce alien species to local aquatic ecosystems.

<i>Hesionidae</i> Family of annelids

Hesionidae are a family of phyllodocid "Bristle worms". They are marine organisms. Most are found on the continental shelf; Hesiocaeca methanicola is found on methane ice, where it feeds on bacterial biofilms.

<i>Alitta</i> Genus of marine annelids

Alitta is a genus of marine annelids in Nereididae family. There are three recognised species within the genus, Alitta grandis, Alitta succinea and Alitta virens. Alitta brandti Malmgren, 1865 was originally considered part of the genus, but is now accepted as Neanthes brandti.

<i>Alitta succinea</i> Common clam worm

Alitta succinea is a species of marine annelid in the family Nereididae. It has been recorded throughout the North West Atlantic, as well as in the Gulf of Maine and South Africa.

<i>Sabellastarte spectabilis</i> Species of annelid worm

Sabellastarte spectabilis is a species of benthic marine polychaete worm in the Sabellidae family. It is commonly known as the feather duster worm, feather duster or fan worm. It is native to tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific but has spread to other parts of the world. It is popular in aquariums because of its distinctive appearance and its ability to remove organic particles and improve water quality.

<i>Chaetopterus variopedatus</i> Species of annelid worm

Chaetopterus variopedatus is a species of parchment worm, a marine polychaete in the family Chaetopteridae. It is found worldwide. However, recent discoveries from molecular phylogeny analysis show that Chaetopterus variopedatus sensu Hartman (1959) is not a single species.

<i>Hediste diversicolor</i> Species of annelid worm

Hediste diversicolor, commonly known as a ragworm, is a polychaete worm in the family Nereididae. It lives in a burrow in the sand or mud of beaches and estuaries in intertidal zones in the north Atlantic. This species is used in research, but its classification is in dispute; in the literature, it is often classified as Nereis diversicolor. Its specific name "diversicolor" refers to the fact that its colour changes from brown to green as the breeding season approaches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annelid</span> Phylum of segmented worms

The annelids, also known as the segmented worms, are a large phylum, with over 22,000 extant species including ragworms, earthworms, and leeches. The species exist in and have adapted to various ecologies – some in marine environments as distinct as tidal zones and hydrothermal vents, others in fresh water, and yet others in moist terrestrial environments.

<i>Diopatra cuprea</i> Species of annelid worm

Diopatra cuprea, commonly known as the plumed worm, decorator worm or sometimes ornate worm, is a species of polychaete worm in the family Onuphidae, first described by the French entomologist Louis Augustin Guillaume Bosc in 1802. It is native to the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phyllodocidae</span> Family of annelids

Phyllodocidae is a family of polychaete worms. Worms in this family live on the seabed and may burrow under the sediment.

<i>Scolelepis squamata</i> Species of annelid worm

Scolelepis squamata is a species of polychaete worm in the family Spionidae. It occurs on the lower shore of coasts on either side of the Atlantic Ocean.

<i>Polydora ciliata</i> Species of annelid

Polydora ciliata is a species of annelid worm in the family Spionidae, commonly known as a bristleworm. It is a burrowing worm and is found in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and some other parts of the world.

<i>Syllis prolifera</i> Species of annelid worm

Syllis prolifera is a species of polychaete worm in the family Syllidae. It has a cosmopolitan distribution. It was first described in 1852 by the Russian/German zoologist August David Krohn who gave it the name Syllis prolifera.

<i>Eunice aphroditois</i> Species of worm

Eunice aphroditois is a benthic bristle worm of warm marine waters. It lives mainly in the Atlantic Ocean, but can also be found in the Indo-Pacific. It ranges in length from less than 10 cm (4 in) to 3 m (10 ft). Its exoskeleton displays a wide range of colors, from black to purple and more. This species is an ambush predator; it hunts by burrowing its whole body in soft sediment on the ocean floor and waiting until its antennae detect prey. It then strikes with its sharp mandibles. It may also be found among coral reefs.

<i>Poecilochaetus serpens</i> Species of annelid worm

Poecilochaetus serpens is a species of marine polychaete worm in the family Poecilochaetidae. It is a benthic worm that burrows into soft sediment.

<i>Phyllodoce lineata</i> Species of annelid worm

Phyllodoce lineata is a species of polychaete worm in the family Phyllodocidae. It is native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea where it occurs in the intertidal and shallow sub-tidal zones on soft sediment.

Hartmania is a genus of marine polychaete worms belonging to the family Polynoidae, the scaleworms. Hartmania contains a single species, Hartmania moorei which is known from the north-west Atlantic Ocean off the coast of North America from shallow water to depths of about 80 m.

<i>Tylorrhynchus heterochetus</i> Edible species of annelid worm

Tylorrhynchus heterochetus, also known as the Japanese palolo is a species of edible ragworm.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kristian Fauchald & Chris Glasby (2009). Kristian Fauchald (ed.). "Alitta virens (M. Sars, 1835)". World Polychaeta database. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved January 19, 2010.
    * indicates a heterotypic synonym
  2. 1 2 Salvo, Flora; Dufour, Suzanne C.; Archambault, Philippe; Stora, Georges; Desrosiers, Gaston (2013). "Spatial distribution of Alitta virens burrows in intertidal sediments studied by axial tomodensitometry". Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 93 (6): 1543–1552. Bibcode:2013JMBUK..93.1543S. doi:10.1017/s0025315413000519. S2CID   87480544.
  3. "Alitta virens (M. Sars, 1835)". World Register of Marine Species.
  4. Hoekstra, Rob; Kool, A.; Louws, C.A. (September 2005). De kweek van zagers op landbouwbedrijven in Zeeland (in Dutch). Utrecht: InnovatieNetwerk Groene Ruimte en Agrocluster. ISBN   90-5059-270-8. OCLC   66455921. Archived from the original on 2012-04-26.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Simonsen, Anne Mette T.; Pedersen, Kristine B.; Jensen, Pernille E.; Elberling, Bo; Bach, Lis (2019). "Lability of toxic elements in Submarine Tailings Disposal: The relationship between metal fractionation and metal uptake by sandworms (Alitta virens)". Science of the Total Environment. 696. Bibcode:2019ScTEn.696m3903S. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.133903. PMID   31454604. S2CID   201658793.
  6. 1 2 Green Etxabe, Amaia; Pini, Jennifer M.; Short, Stephen; Cunha, Luis; Kille, Peter; Watson, Gordon J. (2021). "Identifying conserved polychaete molecular markers of metal exposure: Comparative analyses using the Alitta virens (Annelida, Lophotrochozoa) transcriptome". Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C: Toxicology & Pharmacology. 240. doi:10.1016/j.cbpc.2020.108913. PMID   33164845.
  7. "King Ragworm". BritishSeaFishing.co.uk. July 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  8. "Alitta virens (Sars, 1835)". SeaLifeBase. Retrieved 30 November 2021.