Back Opheliidae CEB Opheliidae German Opheliidae French Opheliidae Dutch Opheliidae Swedish Opheliidae Turkish Opheliidae WAR

Opheliidae

Opheliidae
Euzonus flabelligerus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Annelida
Clade: Pleistoannelida
Clade: Sedentaria
Infraclass: Scolecida
Family: Opheliidae
Malmgren, 1867 [1]

Opheliidae is a family of small, annelid worms. Some of the genera, like Armandia, Ophelina and Polyophthalmus, have lost their circular muscles.[2] The Opheliidae family of polychaete; marine annelid worms,[3] play an essential role in marine ecosystems as “deposit feeders” that aid in the recycling of nutrients and sediment mixing in muddle and sandy habitats.[4] Due to their distinctive adaptations that include streamlined bodies and specialized muscles they can burrow in various marine environments. [5]

Worms in the Opheliidae family generally show characteristics of having a smooth body, a ventral (front) crease, few flaps on their sides and a pointed head to help them travel through mud and sand. Overall they specialize in burrowing and consuming sediment particles.[6]

  1. ^ "Opheliidae". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  2. ^ Annelida, by Greg Rouse, Fredrik Pleijel, Ekin Tilic
  3. ^ Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (2024, October 8). Merriam-Webster.com. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polychaete
  4. ^ Parapar, J., Martínez, A., & Moreira, J. (2021). On the Systematics and Biodiversity of the Opheliidae and Scalibregmatidae. Diversity (Basel), 13(2), 87-. https://doi.org/10.3390/d13020087
  5. ^ Law, C. J., Dorgan, K. M., & Rouse, G. W. (2014). Relating divergence in polychaete musculature to different burrowing behaviors: A study using opheliidae (Annelida). Journal of Morphology (1931), 275(5), 548–571. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmor.20237
  6. ^ Parapar, J., Martínez, A., & Moreira, J. (2021). On the Systematics and Biodiversity of the Opheliidae and Scalibregmatidae. Diversity (Basel), 13(2), 87-. https://doi.org/10.3390/d13020087
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · View on Wikipedia

Developed by Nelliwinne