Nereis is a genus of polychaete worms in the family Nereididae. It comprises many species, most of which are marine. Nereis possess setae and parapodia for locomotion and gas exchange. They may have two types of setae, which are found on the parapodia. Acicular setae provide support. Locomotor setae are for crawling, and are the bristles that are visible on the exterior of the Polychaeta. They are cylindrical in shape, found not only in sandy areas, and they are adapted to burrow. They often cling to seagrass (posidonia) or other grass on rocks and sometimes gather in large groups.
Marie Jules César Lelorgne de Savigny was a French zoologist.
Harmothoe is a genus of marine Polychaete worms belonging to the family Polynoidae. Species of Harmothoe are found world-wide to depths of at least 5,000 m but are more common in shallower water.
Phyllodoce is a genus of polychaete worms, which contains about 200 species. The prostomium bears eyes, two pairs of antennae and a pair of large retractile nuchal organs. The eversible proboscis is clearly divided into two parts.
Orbiniidae is a family of polychaete worms. Orbiniids are mostly unselective deposit feeders on marine detritus. They can be found from the neritic zone to abyssal depths.
Sabellaria is a genus of marine polychaete worms in the family Sabellariidae. The type species is Sabellaria alveolata. These worms are sedentary and build tubes in which to live from sand and shell fragments. Some species are called honeycomb worms and when they occur in great numbers they can form reefs on rocks and other hard substrates. They are filter feeders, extending a plume-like fan of radioles from the end of the tube in order to catch plankton and detritus floating past. They have a distinctive operculum which is used to block the opening of the tube when the radioles are retracted.
Amphinomidae, also known as the bristle worms or sea mice, are a family of marine polychaetes, many species of which bear chaetae mineralized with carbonate. The best-known amphinomids are the fireworms, which can cause great pain if their toxin-coated chaetae are touched or trodden on. Their relationship to other polychaete groups is somewhat poorly resolved.
Protula is a genus of marine polychaete worms in the family Serpulidae.
Eulagisca is a genus of marine polychaete worms belonging to the family Polynoidae. The genus includes 5 species which are all found in the Southern and Antarctic Oceans and are notable for reaching a large size - 180 mm or more long - larger than any other species of Polynoidae.
Eunoe is a genus of marine annelids in the family Polynoidae. The genus includes 48 species which are found world-wide, mostly from depths of 50 m or more.
Bathyeliasona is a genus of marine annelids in the family Polynoidae. The genus includes 4 abyssal and bathyal species which occur widely in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, from depths of 2500 to 8000 m.
Parahololepidella is a genus of marine annelids in the family Polynoidae. The genus contains a single species, Parahololepidella greeffi, This species is known from the east equatorial Atlantic Ocean and Cape Verde Islands at a maximum depth of 30m.
Bathyeliasona abyssicola is a deep-sea scale worm which occurs widely across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and over a wide depth range, from 4000m to 8000m.
Austrolaenilla is a genus of marine annelids in the family Polynoidae. The genus includes 10 species which are known from depths of about 20 m to over 5000 m and from the Atlantic Ocean, Southern Ocean and Antarctic Ocean.
Gattyana is a genus of marine annelids in the family Polynoidae. The genus includes 11 species, 9 of which occur in the northern hemisphere, the remaining two are from the Indian Ocean off Mozambique and the Southern Ocean off New Zealand. Species of Gattyana are known from shallow water down to depths of about 1200 m.
Amphitrite is a genus of polychaete belonging to the family Terebellidae. The genus has cosmopolitan distribution.
Scolelepis is a genus of annelids belonging to the family Spionidae.
Loimia is a genus of annelids belonging to the family Terebellidae.
Lumbrineris is a genus of polychaetes belonging to the family Lumbrineridae.
