Family EUNICIDAE

Eunice sp.

Museums

Museum list

Regional Maps

Family EUNICIDAE

Blood Worm, Rock Worm

Compiler and date details

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

15 July 2003

Introduction

Eunicids occur in all benthic environments. In shallow temperate waters they are commonly encountered on rocky reefs, typically in such habitats as crevices and in algal holdfasts. In the tropics they are especially common among dead corals. Many eunicids build robust parchment-like tubes which may have a complex branching shape, but other eunicid taxa, especially burrowers in soft sediments, do not construct permanent tubes.

Many Eunicidae live for several years and survive spawning. Thus, they are among the largest polychaetes and a number of species may exceed 1 m in length. As their large and complex jaws suggest, many species are carnivorous, although others apparently are omnivorous. Some species are sometimes referred to as blood worms for their well-developed parapodial branchiae are often blood-red.

Figures of 5 genera and ~40 species were given by Beesley et al. (2000: App. 1) for representation of the family in Australian waters, and 10 genera and 300+ species worldwide. This database includes the 6 genera and 34 species currently recorded fro Australia.

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

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

Diagnosis

General features. Body shape vermiform; segments numerous (more than about 15); regionation absent. Body opaque, gut usually not visible. Pygidium simple ring or cone. Pygidial appendages present; one pair of cirri, or four cirri.
Head & head structures. Head discrete and compact, dorsal to mouth. Prostomium rounded to oval (anteriorly truncate); anteriorly incised. Eyes absent, or present; one pair; situated on prostomium; without lenses. Prostomial antennae present; single arising posteriorly, or three arising posteriorly; articulated (rarely smooth). Palps absent, or paired (resemble antennae); multiple articulations (articulations may be strong or weak); dorsolateral. Nuchal organs indistinct paired dorsolateral patches. Peristomial ring double; cirri absent, or present, 1 pair (on posterior ring).
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 asymmetrical (right maxilla III missing; right maxilla IV larger than left one); 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; notopodial lobes absent; neuropodial lobes represented by at least one chaetal lobe. Lateral organs present (ventral base of dorsal cirrus). Dorsal cirri more-or-less cirriform. Ventral cirri present, cirriform or tapering. Branchiae present; arise from parapodia; occur on at least some chaetigerous segments; branching.
Chaetae. Notochaetae absent. Aciculae present; in both dorsal and ventral positions (=noto- and neuroaciculae) (dorsal one at base of branchiae). Capillary chaetae hair-like; smooth. Comb chaetae present. Spines absent. Hooks present; with a distal hood; occur in many chaetigers but only one ramus (subacicular position). Compound chaetae present; appendage distally tapering to slender tips (=spinigerous), or distally curved (=falcate); appendage not canaliculated; appendage with paired guards on each side of the crest; 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 most or all chaetigers.
Tube & burrow. Tube absent or unconsolidated, or leathery or parchment like. Burrow traces absent, or irregular borings into calcareous substrata.

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)