Order Spionida
Family Chaetopteridae
Features |
| Body: |
divided into 2 or 3 distinct regions |
| Prostomium: |
palps present |
| Peristomium: |
1 - 2 pairs of tentacular
cirri |
| Eye: |
absent or 2 |
| Antennae: |
absent |
| Cirri: |
2 |
| Palp: |
2 |
| Pharynx: |
non-eversible |
| Parapodium: |
uniramous parapodia in anterior region;
biramous parapodia in median and posterior regions |
| Setea: |
capillary, limbate; modified spines in
setiger 4 |
| (Fauchald 1977) |
Biological Notes
All chaetopterids
are tubicolous with an extremely fragile epithelium which produces abundant mucus.
The tube of Phyllochactopterus and Spiochaetopterus is horny and ringed
with one end buried or attached to the substrate (Day 1967).
The
chaetopterids are ciliary feeder. A feeding current is produced by the pumping
action of the fused notopodia or the beating of cilia on the smaller non-fused notopodia
of the middle region. The food current passes down the dorsal surface of the
body. The food particles are trapped in a mucus bag secreted by the enlarged
notopodia of the second segment of the middle region (Day 1967).
Genera and Species Reported in Hong Kong
Phyllochactopterus sp.
Spiochaetopterus costarum |
