Enchytraeidae is a family of
microdrile oligochaetes. They resemble small
earthworms and include both terrestrial species known as potworms that live in highly organic
terrestrial environments, as well as some that are
marine
Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean.
Marine or marines may refer to:
Ocean
* Maritime (disambiguation)
* Marine art
* Marine biology
* Marine debris
* Marine habitats
* Marine life
* Marine pollution
Military
* ...
. The peculiar genus ''
Mesenchytraeus
Ice worms (also written as ice-worms or iceworms) are enchytraeid annelids of the genus ''Mesenchytraeus''. The majority of the species in the genus are abundant in gravel beds or the banks of riverine habitats, but the best-known members of th ...
'' is known as "ice worms", as they live in
glaciers and will die if exposed to temperatures a few degrees above freezing. Apart from these, the best-known
species is probably the
Grindal Worm
''Enchytraeus buchholzi'', Grindal worms, (described by František Vejdovsky in 1879) are enchytraeid oligochaete worms. They are found in temperate meadows and disturbed roadside verges. The scientific name probably covers a group of morpholo ...
(''Enchytraeus buchholzi''), which is commercially bred as
aquarium
An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...
fish food.
Selected genera
Enchytraeidae
genera
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...
include:
[WoRMS (2010)]
* ''Achaeta''
Vejdovský, 1878
* ''Archienchytraeus'' Eisen, 1878 (''nomen dubium'')
* ''Cernosvitoviella'' Nielsen & Christensen, 1959
* ''Christensenidrilus'' Dózsa-Farkas & Convey, 1998 (= ''Christensenia'' Dózsa-Farkas & Convey, 1997 (''non'' Brinck 1945: Christensenia (beetle), preoccupied))
* ''Cognettia'' Nielsen & Christensen, 1959
* ''Enchytraeina'' Bülow, 1957
* ''Enchytraeus''
* ''Epitelphusa'' Drago, 1887
* ''Fridericia (animal), Fridericia'' Michaelsen, 1889
*''Globulidrilus'' Christensen & Dózsa-Farkas, 2012
* ''Grania''
* ''Hemifridericia'' Nielsen & Christensen, 1949
* ''Henlea'' Michaelsen, 1889 (= ''Henleanella'')
* ''Lumbricillus'' Ørsted, 1844 (= ''Enchytraeoides, Pachydrilus'')
* ''Marionina'' Michaelsen in Pfeffer, 1890 (= ''Marionia'' Michaelsen, 1889 (''non'' Vayssière, 1877: Marionia, preoccupied), ''Michaelsena, Parenchytraeus'')
* ''
Mesenchytraeus
Ice worms (also written as ice-worms or iceworms) are enchytraeid annelids of the genus ''Mesenchytraeus''. The majority of the species in the genus are abundant in gravel beds or the banks of riverine habitats, but the best-known members of th ...
'' – ice worms
* ''Neoenchytraeus'' Eisen, 1878
* ''Randidrilus'' Coates & Erséus, 1985
* ''Stephensoniella (worm), Stephensoniella'' Cernosvitov, 1934
Footnotes
References
* (2008)
Enchytraeidae Version of 2010-MAY-11. Retrieved 2011-FEB-06.
Enchytraeidae,
Tubificina
{{Annelid-stub