Nephtyidae is a family of

polychaete Polychaeta () is a paraphyletic class of generally marine annelid worms, commonly called bristle worms or polychaetes (). Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia that bear many bristles, called chaetae, which are made ...

worms. They are commonly referred to as catworms.

Characteristics

Nephtyidae are pale, clearly segmented polychaetes with a small pentagonal

prostomium The prostomium (From Ancient Greek, meaning "before the mouth"; plural: prostomia; sometimes also called the "acron") is the cephalized first body segment in an annelid worm's body at the anterior end. It is in front of (but does not include) t ...

with two pairs of small antennae. Their segments are little differentiated and have a rectangular cross-section.
Nephtyids are active predators, with a strong muscular

proboscis A proboscis () is an elongated appendage from the head of an animal, either a vertebrate or an invertebrate. In invertebrates, the term usually refers to tubular mouthparts used for feeding and sucking. In vertebrates, a proboscis is an elong ...

, armed with two well developed jaws. They can dig relatively fast through sandy sediments. They can also swim with sinuous movements.

References

Annelid families Phyllodocida {{Annelid-stub