''Spirorbis'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of very small ()
polychaete
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 ...
worms, usually with a white coiled shell. Members of the genus live in the
lower littoral and
sublittoral
The littoral zone or nearshore is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely inundated), to coastal area ...
zones of rocky shores. ''Spirorbis'' worms usually live attached to
seaweeds
Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of ''Rhodophyta'' (red), '' Phaeophyta'' (brown) and '' Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such a ...
, but some species live directly on rocks, shells or other hard substrates. ''Spirorbis'' was once thought to have a fossil record extending back into the Early
Paleozoic
The Paleozoic (or Palaeozoic) Era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic Eon.
The name ''Paleozoic'' ( ;) was coined by the British geologist Adam Sedgwick in 1838
by combining the Greek words ''palaiós'' (, "old") and ' ...
, but now all pre-
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...
spirorbins are known to be
microconchids
The order Microconchida is a group of small, spirally-coiled, encrusting fossil "worm" tubes from the class Tentaculita found from the Upper Ordovician to the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) around the world. They have lamellar calcitic shells, u ...
.
The earliest members of genus appeared in the
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recent" ...
, but
Oligocene
The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but ...
finds may
also be possible.
The genus contains the following species:
* ''
Spirorbis borealis
''Spirorbis borealis'' is a sedentary marine polychaete worm in the Serpulidae family. It is commonly called the sinistral spiral tubeworm and is the type species of the genus ''Spirorbis''.
Polychaetes, or marine bristle worms, have elongat ...
''
Daudin, 1800
* ''
Spirorbis corallinae
''Spirorbis corallinae'' is a very small (1-2 mm) coiled polychaete (bristle worm) that lives attached to seaweed in shallow saltwater.
It has a smooth, white or semi-translucent, sinistral (left-handed) coiled shell encasing an orange ...
''
De Silva and Knight-jones, 1962
* ''
Spirorbis cuneatus
''Spirorbis'' is a genus of very small () polychaete worms, usually with a white coiled shell. Members of the genus live in the lower littoral and sublittoral zones of rocky shores. ''Spirorbis'' worms usually live attached to seaweeds, but ...
''
Gee, 1964
* ''
Spirorbis granulatus''
* ''
Spirorbis incongruus
''Spirorbis'' is a genus of very small () polychaete worms, usually with a white coiled shell. Members of the genus live in the lower littoral and sublittoral zones of rocky shores. ''Spirorbis'' worms usually live attached to seaweeds, but ...
''
* ''
Spirorbis inornatus''
L'hardy and Quievreux, 1962
* ''
Spirorbis knightjonesi
''Spirorbis'' is a genus of very small () polychaete worms, usually with a white coiled shell. Members of the genus live in the lower littoral and sublittoral zones of rocky shores. ''Spirorbis'' worms usually live attached to seaweeds, but ...
''
Desilva, 1965
* ''
Spirorbis lineatus''
* ''
Spirorbis marioni''
(Caullery and Mesnil, 1897)
* ''
Spirorbis medius''
* ''
Spirorbis moerchi''
* ''
Spirorbis nakamurai''
* ''
Spirorbis quadrangularis''
* ''
Spirorbis quasimilitaris''
Bailey, 1970
* ''
Spirorbis rupestris''
Gee and Knight-jones, 1962
* ''
Spirorbis semidentatus''
* ''
Spirorbis similis''
* ''
Spirorbis spirorbis
''Spirorbis spirorbis'' is a small (3–4 mm) coiled polychaete that lives attached to seaweeds and eel grass in shallow saltwater.
They have a smooth, white, sinistral (left-handed) coiled shell encasing an orange body about 3 mm in ...
''
(Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, t ...
, 1758
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the starting point of modern zoological ...
)
* ''
Spirorbis steueri''
Sterzinger, 1909
* ''
Spirorbis tridentata
''Spirorbis'' is a genus of very small () polychaete worms, usually with a white coiled shell. Members of the genus live in the lower littoral and sublittoral zones of rocky shores. ''Spirorbis'' worms usually live attached to seaweeds, but ...
''
Levinsen, 1883
* ''
Spirorbis variabilis
''Spirorbis'' is a genus of very small () polychaete worms, usually with a white coiled shell. Members of the genus live in the lower littoral and sublittoral zones of rocky shores. ''Spirorbis'' worms usually live attached to seaweeds, but ...
''
* ''
Spirorbis violaceus''
References
External links
General spirorbid morphology and ecology
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3493593
Serpulidae
Polychaete genera
Extant Miocene first appearances
Taxa named by François Marie Daudin
Paleozoic life of Ontario
Paleozoic life of Alberta
Paleozoic life of the Northwest Territories
Paleozoic life of Quebec