List of Annelida of Ireland

This is a list of the Annelida recorded from Ireland.

In Ireland the number of species is:

  • Class Polychaeta 404 species
  • Class Clitellata
  • Subclass Oligochaeta 179 species
  • Subclass Hirudinea 32 species [1]

Taxonomy Here the leeches and oligochaetes are placed together in the Class Clitellata. The marine Polychaeta are ranked as a Class. These groups (and the Annelida) may be monophyletic, paraphyletic or polyphyletic. (Rouse and Pleijel, 2001).

A variety of Polychaeta
Polychaeta:1 Autolytus pictus Ehlers, 1864 Syllidae;2 Phyllodoce lamelligera (Gmelin in Linnaeus, 1788) Phyllodocidae;3 Phyllodoce maculata (Linnaeus, 1767) Phyllodocidae;4,5 Nereiphylla rubiginosa (Saint-Joseph, 1888) Phyllodocidae
Polychaeta:1 Sabellaria spinulosa Leuckart, 1849 Sabellariidae;2 Lagis koreni Malmgren, 1866 Pectinariidae;3 Ampharete acutifrons (Grube, 1860) Ampharetidae;4 Sabellaria alveolata Linnaeus, 1767 Sabellariidae;5 Nicolea venustula (Montagu, 1819) Terebellidae;6 Branchiomma argus (Sars, 1862) Sabellidae;7 Dipolydora flava (Claparède, 1870) Spionidae
Polychaeta:*1, 2 Phyllodoce lamelligera (Gmelin in Linnaeus, 1788) Phyllodocidae;*3,4. Odontosyllis gibba (Claparède, 1863) Syllidae;*5. Odontosyllis fulgurans (Audouin & Milne Edwards, 1833) Syllidae;*6. Syllis krohnii Ehlers, 1864 Syllidae;*7. Myrianida prolifera (O.F. Müller, 1788) Syllidae;*8. Proceraea picta Ehlers, 1864 Syllidae.

Order Phyllodocida edit

Family Chrysopetalidae edit

2 species

Family Pisionidae edit

First segment projects forward of the head. Pisione.

1 species

Family Aphroditidae edit

"Felt"-covered scale worms. Aphrodita, Laetmonice, Palmyra (Palmyridae)

4 species including

Family Polynoidae edit

29 species including

Family Pholoidae edit

Minute scale worms. Dorsal scales ringed. Pholoe, Pholoides images of Pholoidae

4 species

Family Sigalionidae edit

Scale worms (with dorsal scales) and compound neurosetae. Sigalion, Psammolyce, Sthenelais.

8 species including

Family Phyllodocidae edit

Active predators with leaf-like dorsal cirri, notopodia otherwise reduced. Phyllodoce, Eumida Eteone and many others.

38 species including

Family Chaetopteridae edit

1 species

Family Lacydoniidae edit

A small obscure family, perhaps with hesionid affinities. Short body and proboscis unarmed. Lacydonia.

1 species

Family Alciopidae edit

Slender pelagic forms with giant eyes. Vanadis, Alciopa.

3 species

Family Lopadorrhynchidae edit

Short pelagic forms. Lopadorrhynchus.

5 species

Family Typhloscolecidae edit

Transparent pelagic group with tapering bodies and foliaceous segmental cirri. Sagitella, Typhloscolex, Travisiopsis.

2 species

Family Tomopteridae edit

Flattened pelagic forms with long cirri on segment-two. Tomopteris

2 species

Family Glyceridae edit

Cylindrical forms with a conical prostomium and four jaws. Glycera, Hemipodus.

1 species

Family Goniadidae edit

Similar to Glyceridae with the anterior parapodia uniramous, multiple jaw- pieces, and chevron structures on the proboscis. Goniada, Glycinde.

3 species

Family Sphaerodoridae edit

Dorsal rows of spherical tubercles. Sphaerodorum.

4 species

Family Hesionidae edit

10 species

Family Pilargidae edit

1 species

Family Syllidae edit

38 species including

Family Nereididae edit

10 species including

Family Nephtyidae edit

11 species including

Order Amphinomida edit

Family Amphinomidae edit

3 species

Family Euphrosinidae edit

Order Spintherida edit

Family Spintheridae edit

1 species

Order Eunicida edit

Family Onuphidae edit

1 species

Family Eunicidae edit

8 species

Family Lumbrineridae edit

A Eunicida group lacking notopodia and with reduced or absent dorsal head appendages. Lumbrineris, Ninoe, Lysarete.

5 species

Family Oenonidae edit

Similar to Lumbrineridae with long maxillary carriers. Arabella, Drilonereis, Oenone.

3 species

Family Dorvilleidae edit

A Eunicida group with multiple jaw elements. Dorvillea, Ophryotrocha

6 species including

Order Orbiniida edit

Family Orbiniidae edit

3 species

Family Paraonidae edit

Resembling Spionidae (but unrelated). With or without a single antenna, with gills, and without palps. Paraonis, Aricidea.

13 species

Order Spionida edit

Family Apistobranchidae edit

1 species

Family Poecilochaetidae edit

Fragile forms with stiff parapodial lobes and multiple simple setal types. Poecilochaetus.

1 species

Family Spionidae edit

31 species including

Family Magelonidae edit

Small forms with a shovel-like head and papillose palp pair. Magelona.

5 species

Family Cirratulidae edit

12 species including

Order Cossurida edit

Family Cossuridae edit

Slender forms with a single median palp on dorsal side of one anterior setiger.

1 species

Order Terebellida edit

Family Flabelligeridae edit

Papillated body and cross-barred setae. Flabelligera, Diplocirrus, Brada.

4 species including

Family Acrocirridae edit

1 species

Order Capitellida edit

Family Capitellidae edit

9 species including

Family Arenicolidae edit

3 species including

Family Maldanidae edit

Bamboo worms. Long and cylindrical and truncate at one or both ends. Most with long, cylindrical segments with a pair of nuchal slits and a median cephalic keel. Maldane, Axiothella, Rhodine, Nicomache.

10 species

Order Opheliida edit

Family Opheliidae edit

9 species including

Family Scalibregmatidae edit

Maggot-like or anteriorly inflated group with a small T-shaped prostomium. Scalibregma, Hyboscolex.

4 species including

Order Nerillida edit

Family Nerillidae edit

1 species

Order Polygordiida edit

Family Polygordiidae edit

Elongate nematode-like forms without setae, and with a stiff frontal tentacle pair. Polygordius.

2 species

Order Protodrilida edit

Family Protodrilidae edit

Minute forms without setae and with a flexible tentacle pair (near-frontal, but separated). They live in spaces between sediment grains. Protodrilus.

1 species

Order Polychaeta incertae sedis edit

Family Saccocirridae edit

1 species

Order Oweniida edit

Family Oweniidae edit

2 species

Order Terebellida edit

Family Pectinariidae edit

3 species

Family Sabellariidae edit

3 species including

Family Ampharetidae edit

Forms with no posterior notosetae and usually with simple, transversely-arranged gills. Ampharete, Melinna

5 species including

Family Trichobranchidae edit

Resemble Terebellidae but have long-handled hooks. Terebellides.

2 species

Family Terebellidae edit

23 species including

Order Sabellida edit

Family Sabellidae edit

19 species including

Family Serpulidae edit

8 species including

Family Spirorbidae edit

Small asymmetric fan worms with coiled calcareous tubes cemented to algae and rock. Spirorbis.

8 species including

Order Myzostomida edit

Family Myzostomatidae edit

1 species

Class Aphanoneura

Family Aeolosomatidae edit

Class Clitellata Subclass Oligochaeta

Order Opisthopora edit

Family Acanthodrilidae edit

1 species

Family Octochaetidae edit

1 species

Family Lumbricidae edit

26 species [2]

Order Enchytraeida edit

Family Enchytraeidae edit

96 species

Order Tubificida edit

Family Naididae edit

50 species

Order Lumbriculida edit

Family Lumbriculidae edit

5 species

Class Clitellata Subclass Hirudinea

Order Arhynchobdellida edit

Family Erpobdellidae edit

5 species

Family Hirudinidae edit

1 species

Order Rhynchobdellida edit

Family Glossiphoniidae edit

7 species

Family Ozobranchidae edit

2 species

Family Piscicolidae edit

17 species

References edit

  1. ^ T. K. McCarthy, T.K., 1975 Observations on the Distribution of the Freshwater Leeches (Hirudinea) of Ireland Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. Section B: Biological, Geological, and Chemical Science Vol. 75 (1975), pp. 401-451
  2. ^ Blakemore, R.J. 2005. British and Irish earthworms – A checklist of species updated from Sims & Gerard pdf .
  • Fauna Europaea
  • McIntosh, William Carmichael A monograph of the British marine annelids. London, The Ray society,1873/1900-1922/23.online
  • Bellan, G. (2001) Polychaeta in Costello, M.J. (2001).European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels.
  • P. J. Hayward and J. S. Ryland Eds., 1999 The Marine Fauna of the British Isles and North-West Europe Oxford University Press ISBN 9780198540557
  • Howson, C.M. & Picton, B.E.(eds) 1997. The species directory of the marine fauna and flora of the British Isles and surrounding seas.Ulster Museum and The Marine Conservation Society, Belfast and Ross-on-Wye.
  • Fauvel P., 1923. Polychètes errantes. Faune de France n° 5 488 p., 181 fig.PDF (25 Mo) (Identification)
  • Fauvel P., 1927. Polychètes sédentaires. Faune de France n° 16 494 p., 152 fig.PDF (25 Mo) (Identification)
  • World Register of Marine Species Searchable for Irish list

External links edit