Phylum Annelida (segmented worms)

Large phylum ~12,400 species (vs 100,000

Mollusks, 1,000,000 Arthropods)
marine, freshwater, and terrestrial (soils)
Collagen cuticle and chitin bristles (setae,
chaetae)

Annelid characters, continued

Closed circulatory system, often hemoglobin
or chlorocruorin is present (extracellular).
Complete digestive tract
Monoecious or dioecious. Primitively external
fertilization, but internal in Clitellata

 Class Polychaeta
Polychaetes- mainly marine very diverse- ~8,000
species, 22 orders!
Includes three former phyla:
Pogonophora, Vestimentifera, Echiurida

Class Clitellata
Subclass Oligochaeta ~3,500 sp. (includes earthworms)
Mainly freshwater and terrestrial
Subclass Hirudinea (leeches) ~600 sp. Freshwater and
terrestrial

Metamerism
(=segmentation) Serial repetition of body parts.
Most evident in Polychaeta.
Phylum Arthropoda is also metameric.
Tagmatization
specialization and fusion of segments into distinct
body regions (e.g. head, thorax, abdomen).
Occurs to some degree in Polychaeta, but more
evident in arthropods

Polychaeta
Complex head, followed by repetitive body
segments
Segments usually have appendages called
parapodia

Pharynx of some polychaetes is

eversible and has mineralized jaws

 Ventral view of a
polychaete head with
jaws visible within the
pharynx

Polychaetes are very diverse (~22

orders)
Errantia- the errant polychaetes are active
predators, such as Nereis
Sedentaria- the sedentary polychaetes are
tubicolous or burrowing forms
Deposit feeders- tentacles and mucociliary
mechanisms to gather (collect) small particles
from the substrate
Suspension feeders- ciliated tentacular fans or
mucus nets in ventilated burrows to filter food
from the water.

Some sedentary polychaete groups

Tubicolous suspension feeders
Sabellids- feather-duster worms with
crowns of tentacles, tubes constructed of
mucus and detritus
Serpulids- tentacles like sabellids, but
hard calcareous secreted tube,
sometimes spiral.

Bispira sp

Sabellasterte magnifica

polichaeta

BAU NYALE

The Palolo worm story

Eunice viridis, Fiji and Samoa. Explosive
spawning 1-3 nights each year, usually 7th
night after the first full moon following
autumnal equinox. Epitokes swims to surface,
millions burst in unison, forming a slurry of
eggs and sperm.
Local people feast on the raw worms.
Marks the first day of the traditional Samoan
year.

 epitoky - a mode of reproduction unique to

polychaete worms in which the worm
undergoes a partial or entire transition into a
pelagic, sexually reproductive form, known as
an epitoke. In many cases, epitoky involves
loss or degeneration of digestive structures
and enhancement of swimming, sensory, and
reproductive structures. The epitoke is a
considered a delicacy in some islands of the
South Pacific.

Clitellata (mainly terrestrial and

freshwater)
Loss of parapodia -unnecessary on land, loss
reduces surface area
Reproductive adaptations:
hermaphrodites, internal fertilization, direct
development
clitellum aids internal fertilization and cocoon
formation for eggs
Parthenogenesis & transverse budding