Family CHAETOPTERIDAE

Chaetopteridae

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Family CHAETOPTERIDAE

Parchment Tube Worm

Compiler and date details

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

14 July 2003

Introduction

Chaetopterids are highly modified tubiculous polychaetes that are adapted to pump water through their tubes as part of their suspension feeding activities. Their bodies are elongate (up to 300 mm long) and fragile, and divided into 3 distinct regions. They range from intertidal waters to deep sea, but are most commonly found as infauna in sand or mud where they are solitary or form colonies of tough membranous tubes.

Figures of 4 genera and 8 species were given by Beesley et al. (2000: App. 1) for representation of the family in Australian waters (4 described species and 4 undescribed species), and 4 genera and 41 species worldwide. There is still debate about whether Chaetopterus is monotypic with a large distribution or includes numerous species. As this has yet to be resolved, we have followed Fauchald (1977) in recognising only Chaetopterus variopedatus.

See Wilson (2000) for detailed treatment of the family.

The current placement of the Chaetopteridae remains uncertain; the placement here, within the Subclass Sedentaria, reflects that of the World Register of Marine Species - however, phylogenetic analyses of Weigert et al. (2014) indicate that the family resolves outside of the Sedentaria, instead resolving as one of five basal groups, which as a whole, are sister to the Errantia and Sedentaria.

Database Notes

proof read against Day & Hutchings 1979 by RW
checked against DELTA CD 2003 by RTJ

Diagnosis

General features. Body shape vermiform; segments numerous (more than about 15); regionation present, three distinct body regions; regions demarcated by major structural differences in parapodia over body. Pygidium simple ring or cone. Pygidial appendages absent.
Head & head structures. Head discrete and compact, dorsal to mouth. Prostomium rounded to oval (anteriorly truncate). Eyes absent, or present; one pair; situated on prostomium; without lenses. Palps paired; longitudinally grooved; dorsolateral. Nuchal organs paired posterior projections. Peristomial ring single, with collar.
Pharynx & pharyngeal apparatus. Foregut a ventral pharyngeal organ.
Body segments & parapodia. First segment chaetigerous (one pair elongated dorsal cirri may be present). First chaetiger with notochaetae only. Parapodia biramous with prominent parapodial lobes; notopodial lobes represented by at least one chaetal lobe (midbody notopodial lobes large, aliform used in pumping water); neuropodial lobes low ridges (tori) (mid and posterior chaetigers only). Dorsal cirri absent. Ventral cirri absent. Branchiae absent.
Chaetae. Notochaetae absent, or present. Aciculae absent. Capillary chaetae hair-like, or knife-shaped with pointed or bifid tip; smooth. Spines present in most or all chaetigers (on chaetiger 4 only); in both notopodia and neuropodia; slightly curved and more-or-less smooth (robust). Hooks absent. Uncini present; with teeth in vertical series, teeth usually similar-sized (=pectinate); arranged in more than two rows.
Tube & burrow. Tube membraneous, or leathery or parchment like, or translucent, chitin-like (U-shaped, straight or branched).

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)