''Spirorbis'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of very small ()
polychaete
Polychaeta () is a paraphyletic class of generally marine Annelid, annelid worms, common name, commonly called bristle worms or polychaetes (). Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia that bear many bristles, called c ...
worms, usually with a white coiled shell. Members of the genus live in the
lower littoral and
sublittoral
The littoral zone, also called litoral or nearshore, is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely in ...
zones of rocky shores. ''Spirorbis'' worms usually live attached to
seaweeds
Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of ''Rhodophyta'' (red), '' Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...
, 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
The Paleozoic ( , , ; or Palaeozoic) Era is the first of three Era (geology), geological eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. Beginning 538.8 million years ago (Ma), it succeeds the Neoproterozoic (the last era of the Proterozoic Eon) and ends 251.9 Ma a ...
, but now all pre-
Bathonian
In the geologic timescale the Bathonian is an age (geology), age and stage (stratigraphy), stage of the Middle Jurassic. It lasted from approximately 168.2 ±1.2 annum, Ma to around 165.3 ±1.1 Ma (million years ago). The Bathonian Age succeeds ...
(Middle
Jurassic
The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately 143.1 Mya. ...
) spirorbins are known to be
microconchids.
The earliest members of genus appeared in the
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
, but
Oligocene
The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch (geology), epoch of the Paleogene Geologic time scale, Period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that defin ...
finds may
also be possible.
The genus contains the following species:
* ''
Spirorbis borealis''
Daudin, 1800
* ''
Spirorbis corallinae''
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 littoral, lower littoral and Sublittoral zone, sublittoral zones of rocky shores. ''Spirorbis'' worms usually live att ...
''
* ''
Spirorbis incongruus''
* ''
Spirorbis inornatus''
L'hardy and Quievreux, 1962
* ''
Spirorbis knightjonesi''
Desilva, 1965
* ''
Spirorbis lineatus''
* ''
Spirorbis marioni''
(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
''Spirorbis spirorbis'' or ''Spirorbis borealis'' is a small (3–4 mm) coiled sedentary marine Polychaeta, polychaete worm in the Serpulidae family that lives attached to seaweeds and Zostera, eel grass in shallow saltwater. It is commonly ...
''
(Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...
, 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'', the starting point of modern zoologic ...
)
* ''
Spirorbis steueri''
Sterzinger, 1909
* ''
Spirorbis tridentata''
Levinsen, 1883
* ''
Spirorbis variabilis''
* ''
Spirorbis violaceus''
References
External links
General spirorbid morphology and ecology
{{Authority control
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