Nerilla antennata

Nerilla antennata
Nerilla antennata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Superphylum: Lophotrochozoa
Phylum: Annelida
Order: Polychaeta
Family: Nerillidae
Genus: Nerilla
Species: N. antennata
Binomial name
Nerilla antennata
Eduard Oscar Schmidt, 1848

Nerilla antennata is 1–2 mm coulorless meiofaunal polychaete. It is often found in aquaculture.

Morphology

Nerilla antennata has nine segments with chaetae and a prostomium with two very large clavate palpates and three segmented tentacles. On the prostomium it has four eyes and two cilliated nuchal organs on the side. The other segments has both dorsally – and ventrally parapods with simple chaetae. The peristomium has two segmented anal cirri.

Male specimens can be identified by three pairs of gonoducts at segment 6 - 8. Females have ovaries at segment 6 and oviducts at segment 7. [1][2]

Ecology

The marine species. Nerilla antennata lives interstitially (between grains of sand) and between algae. It is widely distributed with findings in European waters and around New Zealand. WoRMS The larval development has no pelagic stadium. [3]

Systematics

Generally the family Nerillidae has few segments, two palpates and up to three tentacles.[4] The family includes the 15 marine genera. WoRMS

References

  1. Kirkegaard J. B. (1996). "Danmarks Fauna". 86 (Havbørsteorme. II. Sedantaria ed.). Dansk Naturhistorisk Forening: 245–246.
  2. Westheide W. (1990). "Synopses of the Britiah Fauna". 2 (Polychaetes: Interstitial Families ed.). Universal Book Services for the Linnean Society of London and the Estuarine and Coastal Sciences Association: 56–57.
  3. Kirkegaard J. B. (1996). "Danmarks Fauna". 86 (Havbørsteorme. II. Sedantaria ed.). Dansk Naturhistorisk Forening: 245–246.
  4. Higgins R. P. and Thiel H. (1992). "Introduction to the Study of Meiofauna". Smithsonian Institution Press: 334.


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/29/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.