Enchytraeidae is a family of

microdrile Microdriles (small worms The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive catalogue and list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edit ...

oligochaetes Oligochaeta () is a subclass of soft-bodied animals in the phylum Annelida, which is made up of many types of aquatic and terrestrial worms, including all of the various earthworms. Specifically, oligochaetes comprise the terrestrial megadril ...

. They resemble small

earthworm An earthworm is a soil-dwelling terrestrial invertebrate that belongs to the phylum Annelida. The term is the common name for the largest members of the class (or subclass, depending on the author) Oligochaeta. In classical systems, they we ...

s and include both terrestrial species known as potworms that live in highly organic

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth, as opposed to extraterrestrial. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on o ...

environments, as well as some that are marine. The peculiar genus ''

Mesenchytraeus Ice worms (also written as ice-worms or iceworms, or also called glacial or glacier worms) are enchytraeid annelids of the genus ''Mesenchytraeus''. The majority of the species in the genus are abundant in gravel beds or the banks of riverine h ...

'' is known as "ice worms", as they spend the majority of their lives within

glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

s, only rising to the surface at certain points in the summer. Enchytraeidae also includes the Grindal worm (''Enchytraeus buchholzi''), which is commercially bred as

aquarium An aquarium (: aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...

fish food.

Selected genera

Enchytraeidae

genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...

include: * '' Achaeta'' Vejdovský, 1878 * '' Archienchytraeus'' Eisen, 1878 (''

nomen dubium In binomial nomenclature, a ''nomen dubium'' (Latin for "doubtful name", plural ''nomina dubia'') is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application. Zoology In case of a ''nomen dubium,'' it may be impossible to determine whether a ...

'') * '' Buchholzia'' Michaelsen, 1886 * '' Cernosvitoviella'' Nielsen & Christensen, 1959 * '' Christensenidrilus'' Dózsa-Farkas & Convey, 1998 (= ''Christensenia'' Dózsa-Farkas & Convey, 1997 (''non'' Brinck 1945: preoccupied)) * ''

Cognettia ''Cognettia'' is a genus of annelids belonging to the family Enchytraeidae. The genus has almost cosmopolitan distribution In biogeography, a cosmopolitan distribution is the range of a taxon that extends across most or all of the surface ...

'' Nielsen & Christensen, 1959 * '' Enchytraeina'' Bülow, 1957 * '' Enchytraeus'' * '' Epitelphusa'' Drago, 1887 * '' Fridericia'' Michaelsen, 1889 * ''

Globulidrilus ''Globulidrilus'' is a genus of annelids belonging to the family Enchytraeidae Enchytraeidae is a family of microdrile oligochaeta, oligochaetes. They resemble small earthworms and include both terrestrial species known as potworms that live i ...

'' Christensen & Dózsa-Farkas, 2012 * '' Grania'' * '' Hemifridericia'' Nielsen & Christensen, 1949 * '' Henlea'' Michaelsen, 1889 (= ''Henleanella'') * '' Lumbricillus'' Ørsted, 1844 (= ''Enchytraeoides, Pachydrilus'') * ''

Marionina ''Marionina'' is a genus of annelids belonging to the family Enchytraeidae. The genus has cosmopolitan distribution In biogeography, a cosmopolitan distribution is the range of a taxon that extends across most or all of the surface of the ...

'' Michaelsen in Pfeffer, 1890 (= ''Marionia'' Michaelsen, 1889 (''non'' Vayssière, 1877: preoccupied), ''Michaelsena, Parenchytraeus'') * ''

'' – ice worms * '' Neoenchytraeus'' Eisen, 1878 * '' Randidrilus'' Coates & Erséus, 1985 * '' Stephensoniella'' Cernosvitov, 1934

References

* (2008)
Enchytraeidae
Version of 2010-MAY-11. Retrieved 2011-FEB-06. Tubificina Annelid families {{Annelid-stub