Nephtyidae
| Nephtyidae | ||||||||||||
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Opal worm ( Nephtys hombergii ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Nephtyidae | ||||||||||||
| Pit , 1851 |
Nephtyidae is the name of a family of predatory polychaeta that can be found freely living or digging in oceans worldwide.
features
The multi-bristle of the Nephtyidae family have a muscular body with which they can dig their way through the substrate very quickly and swim vigorously.
Characteristic for the family are the gills located on the segments between the notopodium and neuropodium (interramal) on the abdominal edge of the notopodium .
The square prostomium (head flap) is flattened at the front and ends in a pair of antennae and a pair of simple palps arranged more on the abdomen , which is why some authors speak of two pairs of antennae. The peristomium has receded, while the mouth is surrounded by the parapodia of the anterior bristle-bearing segments. The first bristle-bearing segment is smaller than the second and usually has elongated dorsal and ventral cirrus at the front . All subsequent segments are similar in shape and have simply branched parapodies. Unlike the other polychaetes, the body cross-section is square. The posterior segments decrease in size towards the pygidium . The anus is at the very end and is covered with a simple cirrus on the abdomen.
The animals have an evertable muscular pharynx with a terminal ring of papillae and further rows of papillae. The proximal surface of the pharynx can be bare or covered with warts. There are a pair of lateral jaws, and Dentinephtys also has a pair of hard burs with eight to nine whitish teeth on the inside of the everted pharynx. Aciculae always sit dorsally and ventrally on the forked parapodia.
As far as is known, all Nephtyidae are active predators that feed on other polychaetes, worms , small crabs, and clams . Young animals also eat nematodes , among other things . The prey is grasped with the everted pharynx.
The Nephtyidae are separate sexes. The fertilization takes place externally in the open sea water. Larvae hatch from the eggs and initially live freely swimming as zooplankton and then metamorphose into crawling worms .
Some sample styles
One of the largest and best-studied species of the Nephtyidae is the opal worm ( Nephtys hombergii ), which is widespread in the Atlantic Ocean .
Genera
The Nephtyidae family is divided into six genera :
- Aglaophamus Kinberg, 1865
- Bipalponephtys Ravara, Wiklund, Cunha & Pleijel, 2010
- Inermonephtys Fauchald, 1968
- Micronephthys Friedrich, 1939
- Nephtys Cuvier, 1817
- Portelia Quatrefages, 1850
literature
- Stanley J. Edmonds: Fauna of Australia, Volume 4A. Polychaetes & Allies. The Southern Synthesis 4. Commonwealth of Australia, 2000. Class Polychaeta. Pp. 182-184, Family Nephtyidae.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Andreas Schubert, Karsten Reise (1986): Predatory effects of Nephtys hombergii on other polychaetes in tidal flat sediments. Marine Ecology Progress Series 34, pp. 117-124.
- ↑ Nephtyidae Grube, 1850 WoRMS , 2018. Retrieved on 10 May 2018th