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Enchytraeid
Enchytraeidae is a family of microdrile oligochaeta, oligochaetes. They resemble small earthworms and include both terrestrial species known as potworms that live in highly organic Ecoregion#Terrestrial, terrestrial environments, as well as some that are Marine (ocean), marine. The peculiar genus ''Mesenchytraeus'' 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''), which is commercially bred as aquarium fish food. Selected genera Enchytraeidae genera include:WoRMS (2010) * ''Achaeta'' František Vejdovsky, 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 & Ch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 the genus are found in glacier, glacial ice. They include the only annelid worms known to spend their entire lives in glacier, glacial ice, and some of the few metazoans to complete their entire life cycle at conditions below . They were discovered in a wide range of environments, which include level snowfields, steep avalanche cones, crevasse walls, glacial rivers and pools, and hard glacier ice. These organisms are unique in that they can simply move between tightly packed ice crystals. They utilize setae, which are small bristles found on the outside of their bodies, to grip the ice and pull themselves along. The genus contains 77 species, including the North American glacier ice worm (''Mesenchytraeus solifugus'') and the Yosemite snow w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
