Family LUMBRINERIDAE

Lumbrineridae

© Copyright Robin Wilson, Museum Victoria

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Introduction

Lumbrinerids are common benthic polychaetes that can be found from intertidal to abyssal depths. They are known to inhabit a variety of substrates but are most common in soft sediments. They are long and slender and usually burrow through sediments or crawl over the substratum or in crevices; some are tubicolous. Their cylindrical or globular head lacks any obvious appendages and their smooth, sometimes iridescent, body gives them an earthworm-like appearance.

The detailed treatment given in Paxton (2000) followed the revision of eunicemorph families by Orensanz (1990) that transferred the genus Lysarete from the family Lysaretidae to the family Lumbrineridae. The family Lysaretidae was not recognised.

Figures of 4 genera and 12 species were given by Beesley et al. (2000: App. 1) for representation of the family in Australian waters, and 14 genera and ~250 species worldwide.

Database Notes

proof read against Day & Hutchings 1979 by RW
Hartman, 1944 and Fauchald, 1970 used for checking by RTJ
checked against DELTA CD 2003 by RTJ

Excluded Taxa

Misidentifications

LUMBRINERIDAE: Lumbrineris latreilli Audouin & Milne Edwards, 1834 — Hutchings, P.A. & Johnson, R.T. 2011. Lumbrineris latreilli Audouin & Milne Edwards, 1834, http://biodiversity.org.au/afd (Lumbrineris latreilli Audouin & Milne Edwards, 1834 does not occur in Australia, although it has been widely reported from Australia. It is more than likely that these records represent one or more new species. The Australian records from the Australian Museum and Museum Victoria are misidentifications)

Diagnosis

General features. Body shape vermiform; segments numerous (more than about 15); regionation absent. Pygidium simple ring or cone. Pygidial appendages absent, or present; one pair of cirri, or four cirri.
Head & head structures. Head discrete and compact, dorsal to mouth. Prostomium bluntly conical to trapezoidal (narrow end anteriorly). Eyes absent. Prostomial antennae absent, or present; single arising posteriorly, or three arising posteriorly (papilla-like); smooth. Palps absent. Nuchal organs indistinct paired dorsolateral patches. Peristomial ring double.
Pharynx & pharyngeal apparatus. Foregut a ventral pharyngeal organ; with multiple jaw elements of different shapes and sizes; comprising ventral mandibles and dorsal maxillae; maxillae 4–5 (right) and 4–6 (left) toothed plates in a semicircle; maxillae symmetrical; maxillary carriers shorter than combined length of maxillae; dorsolateral ciliated folds present.
Body segments & parapodia. First segment chaetigerous. First chaetiger with both notochaetae and neurochaetae. Parapodia uniramous throughout, or biramous with prominent parapodial lobes; notopodial lobes represented by at least one chaetal lobe, or absent; neuropodial lobes represented by at least one chaetal lobe. Lateral organs present (ventral base of dorsal cirrus). Dorsal cirri absent, or flattened and foliaceous. Ventral cirri absent (replaced by inflated pads). Branchiae absent (rarely), or present; arise from parapodia (posterior face); occur on at least some chaetigerous segments; digitiform (one or more per parapodium).
Chaetae. Notochaetae absent. Aciculae present; in both dorsal and ventral positions (=noto- and neuroaciculae) (dorsal one sometimes absent). Capillary chaetae hair-like; smooth. Spines absent. Hooks present; with a distal hood; occur in many chaetigers but only one ramus. Compound chaetae absent, or present; appendage distally curved (=falcate); appendage not canaliculated; appendage with a single hood open in front; joint distinctly asymmetrical (=heterogomph); joint effected by ligament(s); shaft tapering slightly or evenly thick from emergence to joint; shaft without distinct core. Compound falcigers present in a few anterior chaetigers only.
Tube & burrow. Tube absent or unconsolidated, or membraneous. Burrow traces absent.

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)

General References

Beesley, P.L., Ross, G.J.B. & Glasby, C.J. (eds) 2000. Polychaetes & Allies: The Southern Synthesis. Fauna of Australia Vol. 4A Polychaeta, Myzostomida, Pogonophora, Echiura, Sipuncula. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing Vol. 4 Part A xii 1-465 pp.

Orensanz, J.M. 1990. The Eunicemorph Polychaete Annelids from Antarctic and Subantarctic seas with addenda to the Eunicemorpha of Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, Australia, and the southern Indian Ocean. pp. 1-183 in Kornicker, L.S. Biology of the Antarctic Seas XXI. Antarctic Research Series 52: 236

Paxton, H. 2000. Family Lumbrineridae. pp. 96-97 in Beesley, P.L., Ross, G.J.B. & Glasby, C.J. (eds). Polychaetes & Allies: The Southern Synthesis. Fauna of Australia Vol. 4A Polychaeta, Myzostomida, Pogonophora, Echiura, Sipuncula. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing Vol. 4 Part A xii 1-465 pp.

History of changes