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Polychaeta (/ ˌ p ɒ l ɪ ˈ k iː t ə /) is a paraphyletic [1] class of generally marine annelid worms, commonly called bristle worms or polychaetes (/ ˈ p ɒ l ɪ ˌ k iː t s /). Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia that bear many bristles, called chaetae, which are made of chitin. More than 10,000 species ...
Osedax is a genus of deep-sea siboglinid polychaetes, commonly called boneworms, zombie worms, or bone-eating worms. Osedax is Latin for "bone-eater". The name alludes to how the worms bore into the bones of whale carcasses to reach enclosed lipids, on which they rely for sustenance. They utilize specialized root tissues for bone-boring.
The sea mouse is an active predator [2] feeding primarily on small crabs, hermit crabs and other polychaete worms including Pectinaria and Lumbriconereis. [2] It has been observed consuming other polychaete worms over three times its own body length. [2] Feeding activity takes place at night, with the animal partially buried in sand. [2]
Canalipalpata is an order of sessile marine polychaete worms consisting of 31 families (including the Sabellidae, Serpulidae, Terebellidae, and Alvinellidae, a family of deep-sea worms associated with hydrothermal vents). These benthic annelid tube worms employ radioles primarily for alimentation.
Alvinella pompejana, the Pompeii worm, is a species of deep-sea polychaete worm (commonly referred to as "bristle worms"). It is an extremophile found only at hydrothermal vents in the Pacific Ocean , discovered in the early 1980s off the Galápagos Islands by French marine biologists .
The worm's tube is a food-catching tool that creates a small micro-reef where small invertebrate prey reside. Diopatra dart partially out of the tube and grasp the prey with their maxillae and mandibles.
Errantia is a diverse group of marine polychaete worms in the phylum Annelida. Traditionally a subclass of the paraphyletic class Polychaeta, [4] it is currently regarded as a monophyletic group within the larger Pleistoannelida, composed of Errantia and Sedentaria. [2] These worms are found worldwide in marine environments and brackish water.
The top of the tube can be closed by an operculum formed by several rings of bristles on the head of the worm. The head also bears several fine feeding tentacles and a pair of small palps. The thoracic section of the body has 3 or 4 segments with paddle-like capillary bristles.