Family TEREBELLIDAE

Eupolymnia koorangia

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Family TEREBELLIDAE

Spaghetti Worm, Spaghetti Mouth Worm

Compiler and date details

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

8 August 2003

Introduction

The Terebellidae are an abundant and species-rich family of often large and conspicuous marine worms. They are widespread in Australia in temperate waters, in coral reefs as crevice fauna, and associated with seagrass beds. They are not as common in soft bottom communities in Australia, but are very common on soft bottoms in the Antarctic and Subantarctic islands. Terebellids are all surface deposit feeders and may be highly selective. The majority of species are tubiculous living in sandy/muddy tubes which may be cemented onto hard substrates or free in the sediment. Typically, they have a robust body with a large number of buccal tentacles and branched or simple branchiae. They are generally tubiculous, but some live naked in the sediment; naked species lack branchiae and have an expanded tentacular membrane.

Figures of 32 genera and 110 species were given by Beesley et al. (2000: App. 1) for representation of the family in Australian waters, and 61 genera and 452 species worldwide. This database includes 98 species from 33 genera.

The Terebellidae is divided into 3 subfamilies: Polycirrinae, Thelepodinae and Terebellinae. All are well represented in Australia, and most genera occur in Australia. The Polycirrinae are represented in Australia by 4 genera and 24 species, the Thelepodinae by 7 genera and 22 species, and the Terebellinae by 22 genera and 52 species. It is difficult to compare this high diversity with similar areas elsewhere as comparable data do not exist. Virtually all of the records of the Terebellidae in the checklist of Day & Hutchings (1979) were found to be misidentifications (Hutchings & Glasby, 1995) of undescribed endemic Australian species. Currently only 2 species, Hauchiella tribullata and Amaeana trilobata are still credited with cosmopolitan distributions after critical revision (Hutchings & Glasby, 1991)

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

Database Notes

checked against DELTA CD, 2003 by RTJ

Diagnosis

General features. Body shape vermiform, or arenicoliform; segments numerous (more than about 15); regionation absent, or present, comprising distinct thorax and abdomen; regions demarcated by absence of abdominal notopodia. Glandular ventral shields present. Pygidium simple ring or cone, or with multiple digitate lobes (rarely). Pygidial appendages absent.
Head & head structures. Head bearing many tentacles (=oral filaments) around mouth. Prostomium projects as a tentacular membrane. Eyes absent, or present; multiple; situated on prostomium (a dorsal ridge); without lenses. Oral filaments present; arise outside on membrane above mouth. Palps absent. Nuchal organs indistinct paired dorsolateral patches. Peristomial ring absent (comprises upper and lower lips, sometimes also ventral lappet).
Pharynx & pharyngeal apparatus. Foregut a ventral pharyngeal organ; dorsolateral ciliated folds absent, or present.
Body segments & parapodia. First segment a smooth ring. First chaetiger with notochaetae only. Parapodia biramous with prominent parapodial lobes, or absent (rarely, Hauchiella only); notopodial lobes represented by at least one chaetal lobe (maybe absent posteriorly); neuropodial lobes low ridges (tori) (rarely absent). Lateral organs absent. Dorsal cirri absent. Ventral cirri absent. Branchiae absent, or present; arise from dorsum; occur on at least some chaetigerous segments; branching, or filiform.
Chaetae. External chaetae absent (rarely), or present (in neuropodia at least). Notochaetae present. Aciculae absent. Capillary chaetae present (rarely absent); hair-like, or sharply bent; smooth, or corn-eared, or hirsute-serrate. Spines absent, or present in most or all chaetigers (rarely, Amaeana only); in neuropodia only; slightly curved and more-or-less smooth. Hooks absent. Uncini present, or absent (rarely, some polycirrines); with teeth arranged in transverse series above an enlarged main fang (=crested), or with teeth in vertical series, teeth usually similar-sized (=pectinate) (rarely); arranged in one or two rows.
Tube & burrow. Tube absent or unconsolidated, or membraneous, or leathery or parchment like. 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)