''Teredo'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of highly modified saltwater

clams Clam is a common name for several kinds of bivalve molluscs. The word is often applied only to those that are edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway buried in the sand of the seafloor or riverbeds. Clams have two ...

which bore in wood and live within the tunnels they create. They are commonly known as "

shipworm The shipworms are marine bivalve molluscs in the family Teredinidae: a group of saltwater clams with long, soft, naked bodies. They are notorious for boring into (and commonly eventually destroying) wood that is immersed in sea water, including ...

s;" however, they are not

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 Frankfurt am Main. It had ...

, but marine

bivalve Bivalvia (), in previous centuries referred to as the Lamellibranchiata and Pelecypoda, is a class of marine and freshwater molluscs that have laterally compressed bodies enclosed by a shell consisting of two hinged parts. As a group, bival ...

molluscs (

phylum In biology, a phylum (; plural: phyla) is a level of classification or taxonomic rank below kingdom and above class. Traditionally, in botany the term division has been used instead of phylum, although the International Code of Nomenclature f ...

''Mollusca'') in the taxonomic family ''

Teredinidae The shipworms are marine bivalve molluscs in the family Teredinidae: a group of saltwater clams with long, soft, naked bodies. They are notorious for boring into (and commonly eventually destroying) wood that is immersed in sea water, including ...

''. The

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

is ''

Teredo navalis ''Teredo navalis'', commonly called the naval shipworm or turu, is a species of saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family ''Teredinidae''. This species is the type species of the genus '' Teredo''. Like other species in this family, ...

''. The tunneling

habit A habit (or wont as a humorous and formal term) is a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously.

of species in the genus inspired the name of the Teredo

network Network, networking and networked may refer to: Science and technology * Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects * Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks Mathematics ...

tunneling protocol In computer networks, a tunneling protocol is a communication protocol which allows for the movement of data from one network to another. It involves allowing private network communications to be sent across a public network (such as the Internet ...

. The

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

HMS ''Teredo'' may also have been named after this genus, which works invisibly, below the surface, and can be very damaging to marine installations made of wood.

Diet

Like most marine based bivalves, teredo worms are primarily filter feeders and consume mostly

seston Seston can simply be defined as the particles suspended in bodies of water such as lakes, oceans, ponds and rivers. The term "seston" applies to plankton, organic detritus, and minerals. Detritus is dead organic material and a mineral is a solid c ...

, and not wood. Wood supplements their primary diet and is consumed with the assistance of bacteria inside their

ill ILL may refer to: * '' I Love Lucy'', a landmark American television sitcom * Illorsuit Heliport (location identifier: ILL), a heliport in Illorsuit, Greenland * Institut Laue–Langevin, an internationally financed scientific facility * Interlibra ...

cells. However, wood is not a necessary part of their diet and they can live on the surface both of wooden and non-wooden structures. Teredo_Worm_damage_on_a_non-wooden_sailing_vessel

Teredo_Worm_damage_on_a_non-wooden_sailing_vessel

Species

Species within the genus ''Teredo'' include: * '' Teredo aegypos'' Moll, 1941 * '' Teredo bartschi'' Clapp, 1923 * '' Teredo bitubula'' Li, 1965 * '' Teredo clappi'' Bartsch, 1923 * '' Teredo fulleri'' Clapp, 1924 * '' Teredo furcifera'' Martens in Semon, 1894 * '' Teredo johnsoni'' Clapp, 1924 * '' Teredo mindanensis'' Bartsch, 1923 * ''

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

, 1758 * '' Teredo poculifer'' Iredale, 1936 * '' Teredo portoricensis'' Clapp, 1924 * '' Teredo somersi'' Clapp, 1924 * '' Teredo triangularis'' Edmondson, 1942

Gallery

File:Teredo_Turu_Shipworm.jpg, Teredo or Turu extracted from mangrove wood near Joanes,

Marajó Marajó () is a large coastal island in the state of Pará, Brazil. It is the main and largest of the islands in the Marajó Archipelago. Marajó Island is separated from the mainland by Marajó Bay, Pará River, smaller rivers (especially ...

island, Brazil. This Turu is 1.5 cm in diameter and approximately 50 cm long (note that the tail is broken off).

References

External links

* Bivalve genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{bivalve-stub

Diet

Species

Gallery

See also

References

External links