Serpulidae

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Serpulidae
Temporal range: Wordian–0 [1]
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
Middle Permian - present
Spirobranchus giganteus (Red and white christmas tree worm).jpg
Spirobranchus giganteus is a species of tubeworm belonging to the Serpulidae family. Note the yellowish cartilaginous operculum extending from the branchial stalk.
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Annelida
Clade: Pleistoannelida
Clade: Sedentaria
Order: Sabellida
Family: Serpulidae
Rafinesque, 1815 [2]
Genera

See text

The Serpulidae are a family of sessile, tube-building annelid worms in the class Polychaeta. The members of this family differ from other sabellid tube worms in that they have a specialized operculum that blocks the entrance of their tubes when they withdraw into the tubes. In addition, serpulids secrete tubes of calcium carbonate. Serpulids are the most important biomineralizers among annelids. About 300 species in the family Serpulidae are known, all but one of which live in saline waters. [3] The earliest serpulids are known from the Permian (Wordian to late Permian), [1] and possibly the upper Permian south China [4]

The blood of most species of serpulid and sabellid worms contains the oxygen-binding pigment chlorocruorin. This is used to transport oxygen to the tissues. It has an affinity for carbon monoxide which is 570 times as strong as that of the haemoglobin found in human blood. [5]

Empty serpulid shells can sometimes be confused with the shells of a family of marine gastropod mollusks, the Vermetidae or worm snails. The most obvious difference is that serpulid shells are dull inside, whereas the molluscan vermetid shells are shiny inside.

Selected genera

Pecten sp. with serpulid worm encrusters; Duck Harbor Beach on Cape Cod Bay, Wellfleet, Massachusetts. SerpulidsPecten.JPG
Pecten sp. with serpulid worm encrusters; Duck Harbor Beach on Cape Cod Bay, Wellfleet, Massachusetts.

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">Chaeta</span> Chitinous bristle found on annelid worms

A chaeta or cheta is a chitinous bristle or seta found on annelid worms, although the term is also frequently used to describe similar structures in other invertebrates such as arthropods. Polychaete annelids are named for their chaetae. In Polychaeta, chaetae are found as bundles on the parapodia, paired appendages on the side of the body. The chaetae are epidermal, extracellular structures, and clearly visible in most polychaetes. They are probably the best-studied structures in these animals. Segments bearing chaetae are called chaetigers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sabellida</span> Order of annelids

Sabellida is an order of annelid worms in the class Polychaeta. They are filter feeders with no buccal organ. The prostomium is fused with the peristomium and bears a ring of feathery feeding tentacles. They live in parchment-like tubes made of particles from their environment such as sand and shell fragments cemented together with mucus.

<i>Spirobranchus giganteus</i> Species of marine tube worm

Spirobranchus giganteus, commonly known as the Christmas tree worm, is a tube-building polychaete worm belonging to the family Serpulidae. The S. giganteus lives in coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific region to the Caribbean.

<i>Spirobranchus</i> Genus of annelids

Spirobranchus is a small genus of tube-building annelid fanworms in the family Serpulidae.

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

Pectinariidae, or the trumpet worms or ice cream cone worms, are a family of marine polychaete worms that build tubes using grains of sand roughly resembling ice cream cones or trumpets. These structures can be up to 5 centimetres (2 in) long. The earliest pectinariid fossils are known from the Cretaceous.

<i>Serpula</i> Genus of annelid worms

Serpula is a genus of sessile, marine annelid tube worms that belongs to the family Serpulidae. Serpulid worms are very similar to tube worms of the closely related sabellid family, except that the former possess a cartilaginous operculum that occludes the entrance to their protective tube after the animal has withdrawn into it. The most distinctive feature of worms of the genus Serpula is their colorful fan-shaped "crown". The crown, used by these animals for respiration and alimentation, is the structure that is most commonly seen by scuba divers and other casual observers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radiole</span> Feather-like tentacle found on some polychaetes

A radiole is a heavily ciliated feather-like tentacle found in highly organized clusters on the crowns of Canalipalpata. Canalipalpata is an order of sessile marine polychaete worms consisting of 31 families. These benthic annelid tube worms employ radioles primarily for alimentation. While their primary role is to function as an organ for filter feeding, radioles also serve as respiratory organs. Because of their role in gas exchange, radioles are often referred to as "gills".

<i>Thylacodes arenarius</i> Species of gastropod

Thylacodes arenarius is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Vermetidae, the worm snails or worm shells.

Janua pagenstecheri is a species of marine polychaete. It is widely distributed around the British Isles and across north-western Europe, and has been described as "probably the commonest spirorbid in the world".

Janua is a genus of polychaetes, containing the following subgenera and species:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spionida</span> Order of annelid worms

Spionida is an order of marine polychaete worms in the infraclass Canalipalpata. Spionids are cosmopolitan and live in soft substrates in the littoral or neritic zones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biomineralising polychaete</span> Polychaetes that produce minerals

Biomineralising polychaetes are polychaetes that produce minerals to harden or stiffen their own tissues (biomineralize).

<i>Ficopomatus enigmaticus</i> Species of annelid worm

Ficopomatus enigmaticus, commonly known as the Australian tubeworm, is a species of serpulid tubeworms. Their true native range is unknown, but they probably originated in the Southern Hemisphere, perhaps from the Indian Ocean and the coastal waters of Australia. Today they have a cosmopolitan distribution, having been introduced to shallow waters worldwide. The Australian tubeworm is an invasive species that dominates and alters habitats, reduces water quality, depletes resources, and causes biofouling.

<i>Polydora</i> (annelid) Genus of annelids

Polydora is a genus of annelid worms. It contains marine polychaete species that live in mud, holes bored in rocks, and holes bored in the shells of shellfish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olev Vinn</span> Estonian paleontologist (born 1971)

Olev Vinn is an Estonian paleobiologist and paleontologist.

<i>Poeobius</i> Species of annelid worm

Poeobius is a genus of marine polychaete worm. It contains the single species Poeobius meseres, or balloon worm. This is a common and abundant resident in the midwater around the mesopelagic and bathypelagic zones, especially in Monterey Bay. They can be found at around 300-2,500 m depth from Japan to Alaska to the Gulf of California, and have also been reported in South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olga Hartman</span> American invertebrate zoologist (1900–1974)

Olga Hartman was an American invertebrate zoologist and polychaetologist. She was a student of S. F. Light at the University of California, Berkeley, and later a staff researcher at the Allan Hancock Foundation and professor of biology at the University of Southern California. Active from the 1930s to the 1970s, Hartman specialized in Polychaeta, a class of marine annelid worms, and was known for her work as a cataloger and as a polychaete systematist. She is considered one of the top three most prolific authors in her field, having described 473 polychaete species during her lifetime.

References

Citations
  1. 1 2 Rossana Sanfilippo; Antonietta Rosso; Agatino Reitano; Gianni Insacco (2017). "First record of sabellid and serpulid polychaetes from the Permian of Sicily". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 62 (1): 25–38. doi: 10.4202/app.00288.2016 .
  2. Read G, Fauchald K, eds. (2019). "Serpulidae Rafinesque, 1815". World Polychaeta database. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  3. Kupriyanova EK, ten Hove HA, Sket B, Zakšek V, Trontelj P, Rouse GW (1 December 2009). "Evolution of the unique freshwatercave-dwelling tube worm Marifugia cavatica (Annelida: Serpulidae)". Systematics and Biodiversity. 7 (4): 389–401. Bibcode:2009SyBio...7..389K. doi:10.1017/S1477200009990168 via ResearchGate.
  4. Słowiński, Jakub; Clapham, Matthew; Zatoń, Michał (2024-03-04). "The Upper Permian tubular fossils from South China and their possible affinity to sabellid polychaetes". Historical Biology: 1–7. doi:10.1080/08912963.2024.2324448. ISSN   0891-2963.
  5. Cowles, David (2006). "Serpula vermicularis Linnaeus, 1767". Invertebrates of the Salish Sea. Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory at Walla Walla University. Archived from the original on 2011-10-02. Retrieved 2011-10-31.
  6. Read, G.; Fauchald, K., eds. (2014). "Filograna Berkeley, 1835". World Polychaeta database. Retrieved 2015-02-22 via World Register of Marine Species.
  7. Prentiss, N.K.; Vasileiadou, K.; Faulwetter, S.; et al. (2014). "A new genus and species of Serpulidae (Annelida, Polychaeta, Sabellida) from the Caribbean Sea" (PDF). Zootaxa . 3900 (2): 204–222. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3900.2.2. PMC   4340580 . PMID   25543733.
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