Family ARENICOLIDAE

Abarenicola devia

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Family ARENICOLIDAE

Lug Worm

Compiler and date details

Jan 2011 - P. Hutchings & M. Yerman, Australian Museum, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

11 July 2003

Introduction

Arenicolids (or lugworms) are found throughout the world. They are large, thick-bodied worms with rather thinner tails, reportedly growing to over 1 m in length. They are sold as fish bait in many areas.

Arenicolids are infaunal polychaetes that construct U-shaped burrows in mud and sandy substrates in estuaries and intertidal beaches. Sediment is ingested by the eversible proboscis, causing a sediment depression at the head end of the burrow. In the United Kingdom and Europe, arenicolid species are often found in large numbers on intertidal mud flats and produce characteristic coiled faecal pellets that lie in the ripples on the beach. Australian species appear not to reach these densities.

Figures of 2 genera and 8 species were given by Beesley et al. (2000: App. 1) for representation of the family in Australian waters, and 4 genera and 28 species worldwide.

See Hutchings (2000) for detailed family treatment.

Database Notes

proof read against Day & Hutchings 1979 by RW; no subsequent records added
checked against DELTA CD 2003 by RTJ

Diagnosis

General features. Body shape arenicoliform; segments numerous (more than about 15); regionation absent, or present, comprising distinct thorax and abdomen; regions demarcated by major differences in chaetal types over body. Epidermis thick and rugose. Pygidium simple ring or cone. Pygidial appendages absent.
Head & head structures. Head discrete and compact, dorsal to mouth. Prostomium bluntly conical to trapezoidal (narrow end anteriorly). Eyes absent, or present; multiple; situated on prostomium; without lenses. Palps absent. Nuchal organs indistinct paired dorsolateral patches. Peristomial ring single.
Pharynx & pharyngeal apparatus. Foregut a non-muscular axial proboscis, or a ventral pharyngeal organ; dorsolateral ciliated folds absent, or present.
Body segments & parapodia. First segment a smooth ring. First chaetiger with both notochaetae and neurochaetae (rarely notopodia only). Parapodia biramous with parapodial lobes absent or low; notopodial lobes represented by at least one chaetal lobe; neuropodial lobes low ridges (tori) (over most of body). Dorsal cirri absent. Ventral cirri absent. Branchiae present; arise from parapodia (at base); occur on at least some chaetigerous segments; digitiform (rarely), or single tuft per parapodium.
Chaetae. Notochaetae present. Aciculae absent. Capillary chaetae hair-like; hirsute-serrate. Spines absent. Hooks present; unprotected, or with a subdistal beard (juveniles only); occur in many chaetigers but only one ramus.
Tube & burrow. Tube absent or unconsolidated, or membraneous (rarely). Burrow traces U-shaped.

The above description was generated from: 'C.J. Glasby & K. Fauchald (2002 onwards). POLiKEY. An information system for polychaete families and higher taxa: Version 1: September 2002.'
(See ABRS website: Online Resources: Polikey, for Version 2, released June 2003)