Enchytraeidae is a family of

microdrile Microdriles (small worms Worms may refer to: *Worm, an invertebrate animal with a tube-like body and no limbs Places *Worms, Germany Worms () is a city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, situated on the Upper Rhine about south-southwest of ...

oligochaetes Oligochaeta () is a subclass of animals in the phylum Annelida, which is made up of many types of aquatic and terrestrial worms, including all of the various earthworms. Specifically, oligochaetes comprise the terrestrial megadrile earthworms ...

. They resemble small

earthworm An earthworm is a terrestrial invertebrate that belongs to the phylum Annelida. They exhibit a tube-within-a-tube body plan; they are externally segmented with corresponding internal segmentation; and they usually have setae on all segments. T ...

s and include both terrestrial species known as potworms that live in highly organic

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on or near the ground, as opposed to ...

environments, as well as some that are marine. 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 t ...

'' is known as "ice worms", as they live in

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...

s and will die if exposed to temperatures a few degrees above freezing. Apart from these, the best-known

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

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 morphol ...

(''Enchytraeus buchholzi''), which is commercially bred as aquarium fish food.

Selected genera

Enchytraeidae genera include:WoRMS (2010) * ''Achaeta'' Vejdovský, 1878 * '' Archienchytraeus'' Eisen, 1878 ('' nomen dubium'') * ''

Cernosvitoviella ''Cernosvitoviella'' is a genus of annelids belonging to the family Enchytraeidae. The genus was first described by Nielsen and Christensen in 1959. The species of this genus are found in Eurasia and Northern America. Species: * '' Cernosvit ...

'' Nielsen & Christensen, 1959 * '' Christensenidrilus'' Dózsa-Farkas & Convey, 1998 (= ''Christensenia'' Dózsa-Farkas & Convey, 1997 (''non'' Brinck 1945: preoccupied)) * ''

Cognettia ''Cognettia'' is a genus of annelids belonging to the family Enchytraeidae. The genus has almost cosmopolitan distribution In biogeography, cosmopolitan distribution is the term for the range of a taxon that extends across all or most of t ...

'' Nielsen & Christensen, 1959 * '' Enchytraeina'' Bülow, 1957 * ''

Enchytraeus The genus ''Enchytraeus'' includes about 40 species of annelid worms. The term white worm is often used for all of the species in general, but specifically it is ''E. albidus'' which is named the white worm. This species is used as fish food by ...

'' * '' Epitelphusa'' Drago, 1887 * '' Fridericia'' Michaelsen, 1889 *''

Globulidrilus ''Globulidrilus'' is a genus of annelids 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 ...

'' Christensen & Dózsa-Farkas, 2012 * ''

Grania ''Grania'' is a genus of marine annelid worms in the class Clitellata. They are found at many depths in sands throughout the world. They are generally about in length and mostly colorless or white, though ''Grania colorata'', a recently discov ...

'' * ''

Hemifridericia ''Hemifridericia'' is a genus of annelids belonging to the family Enchytraeidae Enchytraeidae is a family of microdrile oligochaetes. They resemble small earthworms and include both terrestrial species known as potworms that live in highly o ...

'' Nielsen & Christensen, 1949 * ''

Henlea ''Henlea'' is a genus of annelids belonging to the family Enchytraeidae Enchytraeidae is a family of microdrile oligochaetes. They resemble small earthworms and include both terrestrial species known as potworms that live in highly organic t ...

'' Michaelsen, 1889 (= ''Henleanella'') * ''

Lumbricillus ''Lumbricillus'' is a genus of annelids belonging to the family Enchytraeidae Enchytraeidae is a family of microdrile oligochaetes. They resemble small earthworms and include both terrestrial species known as potworms that live in highly org ...

'' Ørsted, 1844 (= ''Enchytraeoides, Pachydrilus'') * ''

Marionina ''Marionina'' is a genus of annelids belonging to the family Enchytraeidae Enchytraeidae is a family of microdrile oligochaetes. They resemble small earthworms and include both terrestrial species known as potworms that live in highly organi ...

'' Michaelsen in Pfeffer, 1890 (= ''Marionia'' Michaelsen, 1889 (''non'' Vayssière, 1877: preoccupied), ''Michaelsena, Parenchytraeus'') * ''

'' – ice worms * '' Neoenchytraeus'' Eisen, 1878 * '' Randidrilus'' Coates & Erséus, 1985 * '' Stephensoniella'' Cernosvitov, 1934

Footnotes

References

* (2008)
Enchytraeidae
Version of 2010-MAY-11. Retrieved 2011-FEB-06. Tubificina {{Annelid-stub