The Serpulidae are a family 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. 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 ( Wordian to late Permian). 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 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 ...

mollusks, 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 ''Ficopomatus'' is a genus of annelids belonging to the family Serpulidae. The genus has cosmopolitan distribution In biogeography, cosmopolitan distribution is the term for the range of a taxon that extends across all or most of the worl ...

'' Sauthern, 1921 *''

Filograna ''Filograna'' is a genus of marine polychaete worms in the family Serpulidae. Species The following species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversit ...

'' Berkeley, 1835 *'' Filogranella'' Ben-Eliahu and Dafni, 1979 *'' Filogranula'' Langerhans, 1884 *''

Galeolaria ''Galeolaria'' is a genus of coastal tube-building annelid fanworms in the family Serpulidae, found from southern Queensland, to New Zealand and southern Australian shores, to Western Australia. Description The body is symmetrical, with a bran ...

'' Lamarck, J.B. de (1818) *'' Hyalopotamus'' Marenzeller, 1878 *''

Hydroides ''Hydroides'' is a genus of tube-forming serpulid worms found on submerged saltwater rocks, shells, and boats in many coastal areas around the world. Species It contains the following species: * '' Hydroides bispinosa'' (Bush, 1910) * '' Hydroide ...

'' Gunnerus, 1768 *''

Janua ''Janua'' is a genus of polychaetes, containing the following subgenera and species: ;''Dexiospira'' Caullery & Mesnil, 1897 *''Janua ainu'' Uchida, 1971 *'' Janua bushi'' (Rioja, 1942) *''Janua ceylonica'' (Pillai, 1960) *''Janua corrugata'' ...

'' 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 ''Protula'' is a genus of marine polychaete worms in the family Serpulidae. Subgenera This genus has two subgenera: *'' Protula (Hydroides)'' *'' Protula (Protulopsis)'' Species The following species are classified in this genus: *'' Protu ...

'' Risso, 1826 *'' Pseudochitinopoma'' Zibrowius, 1969 *'' Pseudovermilia'' Bush, 1907 *†''

Rotularia ''Rotularia'' is an extinct genus of planispirally coiled fossil polychaete worms in the family Serpulidae. Owing to the gastropod-like shape of ''Rotularia'', many authors in the past interpreted this genus as being sea snails in the family ...

'' Defrance, 1827 *''

Salmacina ''Salmacina'' is a genus of marine polychaete worms in the Family (biology), family Sabellidae. The Type (biology), type taxon is ''Salmacina incrustans'' Claparède, 1870. Species The following species are classified in this genus: *''Salmacin ...

'' Claparede, 1870 *'' Semivermila'' Imajima, 1978 *'' Serpula'' Linnaeus, 1767 Type genus *'' 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 ''Ficopomatus enigmaticus'', commonly known as the Australian tubeworm,ten Hove, H., et al. (2013)''Ficopomatus enigmaticus'' (Fauvel, 1923).In: Read, G. and K. Fauchald. (Eds.) World Polychaeta Database. World Register of Marine Species.

'' Image:Filograna implexa.jpg, ''

Filograna implexa ''Filograna implexa'' is a species of polychaetes belonging to the family Serpulidae. The species has almost cosmopolitan distribution In biogeography, cosmopolitan distribution is the term for the range of a taxon that extends across all ...

'' Image:Red fanworm1.jpg, ''

Protula bispiralis ''Protula bispiralis'', commonly known as the red fanworm or as a mopworm, is a species of marine polychaete worm in the family Serpulidae. Description Red fanworms have bodies which grow to 65mm in a tube of up to 10mm in diameter. They ar ...

'' Image:Serpula vermicularis 2.jpg, ''

Serpula vermicularis ''Serpula vermicularis'', known by common names including the calcareous tubeworm, fan worm, plume worm or red tube worm, is a species of segmented marine polychaete worm in the family Serpulidae. It is the type species of the genus '' Serp ...

'' Image:Christmas tree worms.jpg, '' Spirobranchus giganteus'' Image:Spirorbe.jpg, '' Spirorbis sp.''

References

;Citations ;General * * * Annelid families Extant Permian first appearances Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque {{annelid-stub