Oweniidae
| Oweniidae | |
|---|---|
| |
| Owenia fusiformis | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia
|
| Phylum: | Annelida
|
| Class: | Polychaeta
|
| Order: | |
| Suborder: | Sabellida
|
| Family: | Oweniidae Rioja, 1917
|
| Genera | |
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See text
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Oweniidae is a family of marine polychaete worms in the suborder Sabellida. The worms live in tubes made of sand and are selective filter feeders,[1] detritivores and grazers.[2]
Characteristics[]
Members of this family live in tubes made of sand and shell fragments. The head of the worm does not bear a proboscis but has the mouth at the tip rimmed by some very short tentacles. The body segments lack parapodium|parapodia and are smooth elongated cylinders. There are a large number of hooked chaetae or bristles on a small pad on the ventral side of each segment. These chaetae have two parallel teeth resembling claws which is a feature that distinguishes members of this family from other polychaetes. The posterior tip bears different appendages in different genera. Family members are unique in having a bell-shaped larval stage known as a mitraria larva. At one time the family was classified as the Ammocharidae.[1]
Genera[]
References[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Oweniidae. |
- Sabellida