Sabellida is an order of

annelid The annelids (Annelida , from Latin ', "little ring"), also known as the segmented worms, are a large phylum, with over 22,000 extant species including ragworms, earthworms, and leeches. The species exist in and have adapted to various ecol ...

worms in the class

Polychaeta 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 m ...

. They are filter feeders with no buccal organ. The

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) th ...

is fused with the peristomium and bears a ring of feathery feeding tentacles. They live in parchment-like tubes made of particles from their environment such as sand and shell fragments cemented together with mucus.Invertebrate Anatomy OnLine
Members of the suborder include the

feather duster worm Sabellidae, or feather duster worms, are a family of marine polychaete tube worms characterized by protruding feathery branchiae. Sabellids build tubes out of a tough, parchment-like exudate, strengthened with sand and bits of shell. Unlike the ...

s (Sabellidae) and serpulid worms (Serpulidae). Among the species are the giant feather duster worm (''

Eudistylia polymorpha ''Eudistylia'' is a genus of marine polychaete worms. The type species is ''Eudistylia gigantea'', now accepted as ''Eudistylia vancouveri''. This worm lives in a parchment-like tube with a single opening from which a crown of tentacles projects ...

''), the peacock worm (''

Sabella pavonina ''Sabella pavonina'', commonly known as the peacock worm, is a marine polychaete worm belonging to the family Sabellidae. They can be found along the coasts of Western Europe and the Mediterranean. It is found in shallow, tidal waters with a be ...

''), the European fan worm (''

Sabella spallanzanii ''Sabella spallanzanii'' is a species of marine polychaete worms in the family Sabellidae. Common names include the Mediterranean fanworm, the feather duster worm, the European fan worm and the pencil worm.Branch, G.M.; Branch, M.L.; Griffiths, ...

'') and the Christmas tree worm (''

Spirobranchus giganteus ''Spirobranchus giganteus'', commonly known as the Christmas tree worm, is a tube-building polychaete worm belonging to the family Serpulidae. Anatomy and morphology Both its common and Latin names refer to the two chromatically hued spiral s ...

'').

References

External links

* * {{Annelid-stub