Hesionidae are a family of phyllodocid "Bristle worms" (class Polychaeta). They are (like almost all polychaetes) marine organisms. Most are found on the continental shelf; Hesiocaeca methanicola is found on methane ice, where it feeds on bacterial biofilms.[1]

Hesionidae
Oxydromus pugettensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Annelida
Clade: Pleistoannelida
Subclass: Errantia
Order: Phyllodocida
Suborder: Nereidiformia
Family: Hesionidae
Grube, 1850
Subfamilies

Hesioninae
Microphthalminae
Ophiodrominae
and see text

Sirsoe methanicola

A characteristic apomorphy of the Hesionidae are the cirrophores of the anterior segments, which are well-developed cup-like sheaths; the cirri of the subsequent segments insert into the parapodia directly, or with just a vestigial cirrophore.[2]

Systematics

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As phyllodocids, the Hesionidae belong to the order Aciculata, one of the three main clades of polychaetes. They appear to be part of the basal radiation of the main lineage of phyllodocids, alongside such families as the ragworms (Nereididae), the Pilargidae and Sphaerodoridae which are closely related to each other, the very ancient Syllidae, and perhaps the more advanced catworms (Nephtyidae). [3]

Numerous genera are still treated as Hesionidae incertae sedis, not reliably assignable to either of the three generally recognized hesionid subfamilies:[4]

[6]

Footnotes

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  1. ^ C. R. Fisher; I.'R. MacDonald; R. Sassen; C. M. Young; S. A. Macko; S. Hourdez; R. S. Carney; S. Joye; E. McMullin (2000). "Methane ice worms: Hesiocaeca methanicola colonizing fossil fuel reserves" (PDF). Naturwissenschaften. 87 (4): 184–187. doi:10.1007/s001140050700. PMID 10840806. S2CID 24068068. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-02-20.
  2. ^ Pleijel et al. (2008)
  3. ^ Rouse & Fauchald (1998)
  4. ^ Pleijel et al. (2008), WoRMS (2008)
  5. ^ Salazar-Vallejo SI (2016) Elisesione, a new name for Wesenbergia Hartman, 1955, and the description of a new species (Annelida, Hesionidae). ZooKeys 632: 1-12. doi:10.3897/zookeys.632.9652.
  6. ^ Pleijel, Fredrik (1998). "Phylogeny and classification of Hesionidae (Polychaeta)". Zoologica Scripta. 27 (2): 89–163. doi:10.1111/j.1463-6409.1998.tb00433.x.

References

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