Family OPHELIIDAE

Opheliidae

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Family OPHELIIDAE

Compiler and date details

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

25 July 2003

Introduction

Opheliids have a fusiform body with relatively few, indistinct segments and poorly developed parapodia. The head is compact and lacks appendages. Live opheliids often exhibit a characteristic whip-like motion; they may be bright red in colour (the haemoglobin is visible through the thin body wall), and some species are iridescent. They occur widely from intertidal to shelf depths in communities in soft sediments, in which they burrow head downwards.

Figures of 5 genera and 13 species were given by Beesley et al. (2000: App. 1) for representation of the family in Australian waters, and 12 genera and 138+ species worldwide. This database includes 20 species in 7 genera from Australia.

A major unresolved problem with the taxonomy of Australian Opheliidae is the number of 'cosmopolitan species' requiring reassessment. Such taxa as Armandia intermedia, Polyophthalmus pictus and Travisia forbesi (all with type localities in the Northern Hemisphere) have been reported from Australia and other localities around the world

See Hutchings (2000) for full coverage of the family.

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 vermiform, or arenicoliform, or grub-shaped (preserved specimens often curved); segments numerous (more than about 15); regionation absent. Body opaque, gut usually not visible. Epidermis more-or-less smooth, or thick and rugose, or papillate, irregularly arranged papillae. Ventral groove present (rarely absent). Pre-pygidial region as anal tube. Pygidium simple ring or cone. Pygidial appendages present; more than four cirri (inside anal cavity; thicker anal lobes may also be present).
Head & head structures. Head discrete and compact, dorsal to mouth. Prostomium conical, tapering to slender tip; anteriorly without deep incisions, cirri or palpodes, or with a palpode. Eyes absent, or present; one pair; situated on prostomium, or situated on lateral body; without lenses. Palps absent. Nuchal organs paired posterior projections. Peristomial ring absent, or single.
Pharynx & pharyngeal apparatus. Foregut a non-muscular axial proboscis, or a ventral pharyngeal organ; dorsolateral ciliated folds present.
Body segments & parapodia. First segment chaetigerous. First chaetiger with both notochaetae and neurochaetae. Parapodia biramous with parapodial lobes absent or low; notopodial lobes represented by at least one chaetal lobe; neuropodial lobes represented by at least one chaetal lobe. Lateral organs present. Dorsal cirri absent. Ventral cirri absent. Branchiae absent, or present; arise from parapodia; occur on at least some chaetigerous segments; digitiform, or branching (rarely).
Chaetae. Notochaetae present. Aciculae absent. Capillary chaetae hair-like; smooth, or spinose. Spines absent. Hooks absent.
Tube & burrow. Tube absent or unconsolidated. 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)