''Spirorbis'' is a
genus of very small ()
polychaete worms, usually with a white coiled shell. Members of the genus live in the
lower littoral and
sublittoral zones of rocky shores. ''Spirorbis'' worms usually live attached to
seaweeds, but some species live directly on rocks, shells or other hard substrates. ''Spirorbis'' was once thought to have a fossil record extending back into the Early
Paleozoic, but now all pre-
Cretaceous spirorbins are known to be
microconchids
The order Microconchida is a group of small, spirally-coiled, encrusting fossil "worm" tubes from the class Tentaculita found from the Upper Ordovician to the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) around the world. They have lamellar calcitic shells, ...
.
The earliest members of genus appeared in the
Miocene, but
Oligocene
The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the ...
finds may
also be possible.
The genus contains the following species:
* ''
Spirorbis borealis''
Daudin, 1800
* ''
Spirorbis corallinae
''Spirorbis corallinae'' is a very small (1-2 mm) coiled polychaete (bristle worm) that lives attached to seaweed in shallow saltwater.
It has a smooth, white or semi-translucent, sinistral (left-handed) coiled shell encasing an orange ...
''
De Silva and Knight-jones, 1962
* ''
Spirorbis cuneatus''
Gee, 1964
* ''
Spirorbis granulatus
''Spirorbis'' is a genus of very small () polychaete worms, usually with a white coiled shell. Members of the genus live in the lower littoral and sublittoral zones of rocky shores. ''Spirorbis'' worms usually live attached to seaweeds, but some ...
''
* ''
Spirorbis incongruus''
* ''
Spirorbis inornatus''
L'hardy and Quievreux, 1962
* ''
Spirorbis knightjonesi''
Desilva, 1965
* ''
Spirorbis lineatus
''Spirorbis'' is a genus of very small () polychaete worms, usually with a white coiled shell. Members of the genus live in the lower littoral and sublittoral zones of rocky shores. ''Spirorbis'' worms usually live attached to seaweeds, but some ...
''
* ''
Spirorbis marioni
''Spirorbis'' is a genus of very small () polychaete worms, usually with a white coiled shell. Members of the genus live in the lower littoral and sublittoral zones of rocky shores. ''Spirorbis'' worms usually live attached to seaweeds, but some ...
''
(Caullery and Mesnil, 1897)
* ''
Spirorbis medius''
* ''
Spirorbis moerchi''
* ''
Spirorbis nakamurai''
* ''
Spirorbis quadrangularis''
* ''
Spirorbis quasimilitaris''
Bailey, 1970
* ''
Spirorbis rupestris''
Gee and Knight-jones, 1962
* ''
Spirorbis semidentatus''
* ''
Spirorbis similis''
* ''
Spirorbis spirorbis''
( Linnaeus, 1758
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the sta ...
)
* ''
Spirorbis steueri
''Spirorbis'' is a genus of very small () polychaete worms, usually with a white coiled shell. Members of the genus live in the lower littoral and sublittoral zones of rocky shores. ''Spirorbis'' worms usually live attached to seaweeds, but some ...
''
Sterzinger, 1909
* ''
Spirorbis tridentata
''Spirorbis'' is a genus of very small () polychaete worms, usually with a white coiled shell. Members of the genus live in the lower littoral and sublittoral zones of rocky shores. ''Spirorbis'' worms usually live attached to seaweeds, but ...
''
Levinsen, 1883
* ''
Spirorbis variabilis
''Spirorbis'' is a genus of very small () polychaete worms, usually with a white coiled shell. Members of the genus live in the lower littoral and sublittoral zones of rocky shores. ''Spirorbis'' worms usually live attached to seaweeds, but ...
''
* ''
Spirorbis violaceus
''Spirorbis'' is a genus of very small () polychaete worms, usually with a white coiled shell. Members of the genus live in the littoral, lower littoral and Sublittoral zone, sublittoral zones of rocky shores. ''Spirorbis'' worms usually live att ...
''
References
External links
General spirorbid morphology and ecology
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3493593
Serpulidae
Polychaete genera
Extant Miocene first appearances
Taxa named by François Marie Daudin
Paleozoic life of Ontario
Paleozoic life of Alberta
Paleozoic life of the Northwest Territories
Paleozoic life of Quebec