Family SACCOCIRRIDAE

Saccocirrus sp.

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Family SACCOCIRRIDAE

Compiler and date details

March 2014 - Federica Turco, Queensland Museum

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

15 July 2003

Introduction

Saccocirrids are minute to small (usually about 20 mm long) interstitial marine worms. They inhabit interstitial spaces in coarse sandy sediments of the intertidal and shallow subtidal waters. They include species that browse algae and carnivores that feed on copepods.

Saccocirridae are one of a number of interstitial polychaete families with reduced structures and uncertain relationships. These taxa, previously catered for by the poorly defined category, Archiannelida, are difficult to study.They are unique in having a ventral groove and uniramous parapodia on all segments.

Figures of 1 genus and 5 species were given by Beesley et al. (2000: App. 1) for representation of the family in Australian waters, and 1 genus and ~20 species worldwide. Five species are known to occur in Australia: 3 described species from the sediments in the lower intertidal zone around rocky outcrops on the New South Wales coast, plus 2 undescribed species from Queensland (not included here).

Database Notes

checked against DELTA CD 2003 by RTJ

Diagnosis

General features. Body shape vermiform; segments numerous (more than about 15); regionation absent. Body more-or-less transparent, gut visible. Ventral groove present. Pygidium bilobed.
Head & head structures. Head discrete and compact, dorsal to mouth. Prostomium bluntly conical to trapezoidal (narrow end anteriorly). Eyes present; one pair; situated on prostomium; without lenses. Palps paired (tentacle-like). Nuchal organs indistinct paired dorsolateral patches. Peristomial ring single.
Pharynx & pharyngeal apparatus. Foregut a ventral pharyngeal organ; dorsolateral ciliated folds present.
Body segments & parapodia. First segment chaetigerous. First chaetiger with neurochaetae only. Parapodia uniramous throughout; notopodial lobes absent; neuropodial lobes represented by at least one chaetal lobe. Dorsal cirri absent. Ventral cirri absent. Branchiae absent.
Chaetae. Notochaetae absent. Aciculae absent. Capillary chaetae absent. Forked chaetae present (trifid, or truncate types also present); furcate type; tines more or less equal in length, or tines distinctly unequal in length. Spines absent. Hooks 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)