The Serpulidae are a
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
of
sessile,
tube-building annelid
The annelids (Annelida , from Latin ', "little ring"), also known as the segmented worms, are a large phylum, with over 22,000 extant species including ragworms, earthworms, and leeches. The species exist in and have adapted to various ecol ...
worms in the class
Polychaeta
Polychaeta () is a paraphyletic class of generally marine annelid worms, commonly called bristle worms or polychaetes (). Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia that bear many bristles, called chaetae, which are ...
. The members of this family differ from other
sabellid tube worms in that they have a specialized
operculum that blocks the entrance of their tubes when they withdraw into the tubes. In addition, serpulids secrete tubes of
calcium carbonate. Serpulids are the most important
biomineralizers among annelids. About 300 species in the family Serpulidae are known, all but one of which live in saline waters.
[ The earliest serpulids are known from the ]Permian
The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.9 Mya. It is the last period of the Paleo ...
( Wordian to late Permian
Late may refer to:
* LATE, an acronym which could stand for:
** Limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy, a proposed form of dementia
** Local-authority trading enterprise, a New Zealand business law
** Local average treatment effect, ...
).[
The blood of most species of serpulid and sabellid worms contains the oxygen-binding pigment chlorocruorin. This is used to transport oxygen to the tissues. It has an affinity for ]carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide ( chemical formula CO) is a colorless, poisonous, odorless, tasteless, flammable gas that is slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the simpl ...
which is 570 times as strong as that of the haemoglobin found in human blood.[
Empty serpulid shells can sometimes be confused with the shells of a family of marine ]gastropod
The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda ().
This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...
mollusk
Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...
s, the Vermetidae or worm snails. The most obvious difference is that serpulid shells are dull inside, whereas the molluscan vermetid shells are shiny inside.
Selected genera
*'' Amplicaria'' Knight-Jones, 1984
*'' Anomalorbis'' Vine, 1972
*'' Apomatus'' Philippi, 1844
*'' Bathyvermilia'' Zibrowius, 1973
*'' Bushiella'' Knight-Jones, 1973
*'' Capeospira'' Pillai, 1970
*'' Chitinopoma'' Levinsen, 1884
*'' Circeis'' Saint-Joseph, 1894
*'' Crucigera'' Benedict, 1887
*'' Dextralia'' Knight-Jones, 1973
*'' Ditrupa'' Berkeley, 1835
*'' Eulaeospira'' Pillai, 1970
*'' Ficopomatus'' Sauthern, 1921
*'' Filograna'' Berkeley, 1835[
*'' Filogranella'' Ben-Eliahu and Dafni, 1979
*'' Filogranula'' Langerhans, 1884
*'' Galeolaria'' Lamarck, J.B. de (1818)
*'' Hyalopotamus'' Marenzeller, 1878
*'' Hydroides'' Gunnerus, 1768
*'' Janua'' Saint-Joseph, 1894
*'' Josephella'' Caullery and Mesnil, 1896
*'' Leodora'' Saint-Joseph, 1894
*'' Metavermilia'' Bush, 1904
*'' Neodexiospira'' Pillai, 1970
*'' Neovermila'' Day, 1961
*'' Nidificaria''
*'' Paradexiospira'' Caullery and Mesnil, 1897
*'' Paralaeospira'' Caullery and Mesnil, 1897
*'' Pileolaria'' Claparede, 1870
*'' Placostegus'' Philippi, 1844
*'' Pomatoceros'' Philippi, 1844
*'' Pomatoleios'' Pixell, 1912
*'' Pomatostegus'' Schmarda, 1861
*'' Protolaeospira'' Pixell, 1912
*'' Protula'' Risso, 1826
*'' Pseudochitinopoma'' Zibrowius, 1969
*'' Pseudovermilia'' Bush, 1907
*†'' Rotularia'' Defrance, 1827
*'']Salmacina
''Salmacina'' is a genus of marine polychaete worms in the family Sabellidae. The type taxon is '' Salmacina incrustans'' Claparède, 1870.
Species
The following species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), clas ...
'' Claparede, 1870
*'' Semivermila'' Imajima, 1978
*'' Serpula'' Linnaeus, 1767 Type genus
In biological taxonomy, the type genus is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name.
Zoological nomenclature
According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, "The name-bearing type of a nominal ...
*'' Simplicaria'' Knight-Jones, 1973
*''Spirobranchus
''Spirobranchus'' is a small genus of tube-building annelid fanworms in the family Serpulidae.
Species
The species in the genusWorld Register of Marine Species include:
* ''Spirobranchus giganteus'' Pallas
Pallas may refer to:
Astronomy
* 2 ...
'' Blainville, 1818
*'' Spirorbis'' Daudin, 1800
*'' Turbocavus'' Prentiss et al., 2014[
*'' Vermiliopsis Saint-Joseph, 1894
*'' Vinearia''
Image:Ficopomatus enigmaticus individual and tubes.jpg, '' Ficopomatus enigmaticus''
Image:Filograna implexa.jpg, '' Filograna implexa''
Image:Red fanworm1.jpg, '' Protula bispiralis''
Image:Serpula vermicularis 2.jpg, '' Serpula vermicularis''
Image:Christmas tree worms.jpg, '']Spirobranchus giganteus
''Spirobranchus giganteus'', commonly known as the Christmas tree worm, is a tube-building polychaete worm belonging to the family Serpulidae.
Anatomy and morphology
Both its common and Latin names refer to the two chromatically hued spiral s ...
''
Image:Spirorbe.jpg, '' Spirorbis sp.''
References
;Citations
;General
*
*
*
Annelid families
Extant Permian first appearances
Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque
{{annelid-stub