Museum Specimen for Phylum Annelida compiled by Dr.
Riyaz Bakshi
Illustration Credit: Nishita Singh,B.Sc.(H) Zoology
Phylum-Annelida
Nereis
Classification :
Kingdom………...Animalia
Phylum ............ Annelida
Class……………….Polychaeta
Genus …………….Nereis (Rag worm or Clam worm)
Habit and habitat :
Nereis is a marine crawling type, living in temporary burrows in sand.
They are free-living, predaceous, nocturnal, carnivorous.
Distribution :
It has cosmopolitan distribution found along the North Atlantic coast,
Pacific coast, U.S.A. and Europe.
Comments :
• Commonly called as Rag worm or Clam worm.
• Nereis specimen shows cylindrical and elongated body
form which is divided into similar metameres or segments
about 200 in number.
• Mouth is found on the anterior surface of the peristomium.
• Body segments, except head and anal segment, contain
each pair of locomotory parapodia.
• Segments are also called as metameres and between two
segments in intersegmental groove.
• Anal segment contains a pair or anal cirri.
• Nereis is dioecious, although male and female worms can
hardly be recognized.
Heteronereis
Classification :
Kingdom………..Animalia
Phylum ........... Annelida
Class………………Polychaeta
Genus ..............Heteronereis
Habit and habitat :
Heteronereis is a free-swimming worm found in sea.
Distribution:
It has cosmopolitan distribution found along the North
Atlantic coast, Pacific coast, U.S.A. and Europe
Comments :
• Heteronereis is the sexual phase of Nereis in which marked
modifications occur in the posterior segments of the body
which contain gonads.
• During breeding season, clam worm leaves its tube and
becomes free-swimming.
• Body is differentiated into asexual anterior atoke and a
posterior sexual epitoke which contains gametes.
• Prostomium contains prostomial tentacle, prostomial ocelli
and prostomial palp. Peristomium contains peristomial
tentacles.
• Muscles and alimentary canal are reduced or become
degenerated due to large development of gonads.
• There is no marked sexual dimorphism in both sexes but
the females tend to become orange or reddish.
Aphrodite
Classification :
Kingdom……..….Animalia
Phylum ............ Annelida
Class……………….Polychaeta
Genus……………..Aphrodite
Habit and habitat :
Aphrodite is marine worm inhabiting the deep water
muddy bottoms
Distribution : It is found in U.S.A.
Comments :
• Commonly called as sea mouse measuring
approximately 12 cm in length and made up of 30
to 35 segments.
• Shape of the animal is oval, and dorsoventrally
flattened. The dorsal surface is convex and is
covered with setae of different kinds.
• Body is covered dorsally by felt-like or blanket-
like setae arising from the notopodium.
• Anterior end contains a small head or
prostomium, bearing a small median tentacle and
2 lateral palps. Anus is dorsally situated at the
more pointed posterior extremity.
• Ventral surface is flat, segmented and forming a
creeping sole. Each ventral segment or metamere
contains stiff setae.
• Pumping action of the dorsal body wall causes
the sea water to be filtered through the dorsal
felt into the space below.
Sabella
Classification :
Kingdom………….Animalia
Phylum ............. Annelida
Class ................. Polychaeta
Genus ................Sabella
Habit and habitat : Sabella is a marine, tubicolous polychaete present
in low tide mark to approximately 100 fathoms deep. It is often
incrusted on oyster shells, etc.
Distribution: It is distributed throughout the world but especially
U.S.A.
Comments :
• Commonly called as 'peacock worm'
• Animal lives in upright tube, made up of sand grains
glued together.
• Body is divided into small head, a trunk and abdomen.
• Head is constituted by the prostomium, which contains
several gill filaments. Each tentacle has 2 rows of small
pinnules having mucus-secreting glands.
• Abdomen is the largest part.
• A dorsal faecal groove extends ventral side from mouth
to anus. It curves down in the last trunk segment to
ventral side.
Serpula
Classification :
Kingdom………..Animalia
Phylum ........... Annelida
Class ............... Polychaeta
Genus ............. Serpula
Habit and habitat :
Serpula lives in a hard, shelly, calcareous and twisted
tube, attached to shells and other marine objects.
Distribution:
It is found in Europe and U.S.A
Comments :
• Body is elongated and cylindrical but contractile.
• Anterior end forms head consisting of prostomium and
peristomium.
• Posterior end remains attached with mass of calcareous tubes.
• Prostomium contains a pair of incomplete circlets of feathered gills
or branchian which are elongated and pinnately branched.
• Gills are modified palps, sometimes supported by cartilaginous
skeleton and are richly supplied with blood and besides respiration
serve to collect microscopic food particles.
• Each gill consists of an elongated branch, having two rows of short
filaments.
• Peristome is extended forward as paired membrane to form a
collar which is employed in smoothing the inside of the shell.
Pheretima : Earthworm
Classification :
Kingdom…….Animalia
Phylum........ Annelida
Class …………Oligochaeta
Genus ..........Pheretima
Habit and habitat :
Pheretima is found in the soil but absent in sandy and humus
deficient soil. They live usually in the upper layers of slightly
damp soils, lawns, gardens and up to the depth of 30 to 45 cm in
burrows for protection against enemies and under unfavourable
condition. The earthworm is hermaphroditic (monoecious) .
Distribution :
Cosmopolitan.
Comments :
• Commonly called as Earthworm.
• Body consists of 100 to 120 ring like segments depicting
true metamerism and measuring approximately 150
mm.
• Both external and internal segmentations are distinct.
The worm is glistening deep brown or clay-coloured.
• Except the first and last segment, each segment contains
a row of setae in the ventral body wall.
• First segment is called as prostomium which contains
ventral mouth. The last segments is called as anal
segment containing anus.
• A portion of the body is thickened and is called as
clitellum around 14 to 16 segments.
Hirudinaria granulosa
Classification :
Kingdom……..….Animalia
Phylum ............ Annelida
Class ................ Hirudinea
Genus ...............Hirudinaria
Species............. granulosa
Habit and habitat :
Hirudinaria is found in freshwater ponds, lakes and swamps. It is a bloodsucking
or sanguivorous ectoparasite feeding and sucking the blood of frog, fishes and
men.
Distribution :
It has cosmopolitan distribution and specially found in India and Myanmar.
Comments:
• Commonly called as Indian cattle leech.
• Body is soft, vermiform, elongated dorsoventrally
flattened, measuring 30 to 35 cm in length.
• Skin is kept moist and slimy due to abundant mucus
secretion.
• Anterior and posterior suckers are well developed.
• Dorsal surface is olive green, ventral surface orange-
yellow or red. Both surfaces have black stripes.
• Body is divided into cephalic, preclitellar, clitellar,
middle, caudal and posterior sucker regions with 33
segments. Each segment is superficially divided into 5
annuli.
• Eyes 5 pairs dorsally. Segmental receptor organs are 4
pairs (dorsal) and 3 pairs (ventral). Anus is on 26th
segment, nephridiopores on 6 to 22 segments ventrally,
male-genital pore on mid-ventral, inter-segmental
groove of 2nd and 3rd annuli of 10th segment and
female-genital pore on 11th segment.
• Hermaphroditic.
Chaetopterus
Classification :
Kingdom………….Animalia
Phylum ............. Annelida
Class ................. Polychaeta
Genus ................Chaetopterus (The paddle worm)
Habit and habitat :
Chaetopterus is a tubicolous, marine and bioluminescent annelid
which lives permanently in a U-tube, made of sand and mucus with
incurrent and excurrent openings. The tube is parchment like. Mode of
feeding is ciliary.
Distribution :
It is commonly found in Europe, U.S.A., North Carolina to Cape Cod.
Comment:
• Commonly called as paddle worm having greatly
modified segments.
• Tube is opaque, measuring approximately 50 cm long
and about 1 cm in diameter.
• Body is white, delicate, 30 cm long and divided into
anterior, middle and posterior regions.
• The tentacles and palps are absent except a pair of
backwardly directed peristomial cirri.
• Parapodia are variously modified as for water pumping
fans, sucking discs or food ball organs.
• Posterior region is longer with a pair of parapodia in each
segment, about 11 to 30 in number. special feature of the
worm is its power of regeneration.
Trochophore Larva of Nereis
Comments:
• In the development of Nereis, trochophore larva is
formed after gastrulation.
• Larva is conical in shape, microscopic and fast
swimmer.
• Anterior end contains apical sensory organ, having
tuft of cilia. Nerve ganglion is present below it.
• Digestive system consists of open mouth, rounded
stomach, intestine and anus.
• There are two ciliated bands for swimming-(i) pre-
oral ciliated band or prototroch and (ii) post oral
ciliated band or metatroch.
• Internally, larva contains coelom, larval nephridium,
mesoderm, eye spot and larval muscles.
• After metamorphosis, trochophore larva changes to
adult.
