Acrocirridae is a family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 of polychaete

Polychaete

The Polychaeta or polychaetes are a class of annelid worms, generally marine. Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia that bear many bristles, called chaetae, which are made of chitin. Indeed, polychaetes are sometimes referred to as bristle worms. More than 10,000...

 worm

Worm

The term worm refers to an obsolete taxon used by Carolus Linnaeus and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck for all non-arthropod invertebrate animals, and stems from the Old English word wyrm. Currently it is used to describe many different distantly-related animals that typically have a long cylindrical...

s. Acrocirrids are detritivore

Detritivore

Detritivores, also known as detritophages or detritus feeders or detritus eaters or saprophages, are heterotrophs that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus . By doing so, they contribute to decomposition and the nutrient cycles...

s (deposit feeders), catching falling particles

Marine snow

In the deep ocean, marine snow is a continuous shower of mostly organic detritus falling from the upper layers of the water column. It is a significant means of exporting energy from the light-rich photic zone to the aphotic zone below. The term was first coined by the explorer William Beebe as he...

 with numerous long prostomial

Prostomium

Prostomium is the first body segment in annelid worms. It is in front of the mouth, being usually a small shelf- or lip-like extension over the dorsal side of the mouth. It sometimes bears antennae and eyes. It often functions like a kind of overlip when the animal is feeding...

 tentacle

Tentacle

A tentacle or bothrium is one of usually two or more elongated flexible organs present in animals, especially invertebrates. The term may also refer to the hairs of the leaves of some insectivorous plants. Usually, tentacles are used for feeding, feeling and grasping. Anatomically, they work like...

s. There are eight known genera

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

, and at least 21 described species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 and subspecies within the Acrocirridae family. The acrocirrids are primarily benthic

Benthic zone

The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean or a lake, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. Organisms living in this zone are called benthos. They generally live in close relationship with the substrate bottom; many such...

 (seabed

Seabed

The seabed is the bottom of the ocean.- Ocean structure :Most of the oceans have a common structure, created by common physical phenomena, mainly from tectonic movement, and sediment from various sources...

-dwelling) animals, but at least two genera (Swima

Swima

Swima is a genus of polychaete worm that lives in the deep ocean. This deep ocean pelagic annelid has modified bioluminescent gills that can be cast off from an individual. These discarded gills somewhat resemble green "bombs" that remain illuminated for several seconds after they have been...

and Teuthidodrilus

Teuthidodrilus

Teuthidodrilus , is a genus of marine polychaete worms discovered by marine biologists from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in November 2010...

) appear to have evolved or adapted to a pelagic

Pelagic fish

Pelagic fish live near the surface or in the water column of coastal, ocean and lake waters, but not on the bottom of the sea or the lake. They can be contrasted with demersal fish, which do live on or near the bottom, and reef fish which are associated with coral reefs.The marine pelagic...

 (free-swimming) habitat

Habitat

* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...

.

Systematics

Following is a list of genera and species within the Acrocirridae family:

• Genus Acrocirrus
  • A. aciculigerus
  • A. crassifilis
  • A. frontifilis
  • A. heterochaetus
  • A. leidyi
• Genus Chauvinelia
  • C. biscayensis
• Genus Chauviniella
• Genus Flabelligella
  • F. biscayensis
  • F. cirrata
  • F. macrochaeta
  • F. mediterranea
  • F. papillata
• Genus Flabelligena
• Genus Macrochaeta
  • M. australiensis
  • M. bansei
  • M. caroli
  • M. clavicornis
  • M. helgolandica
  • M. leidyi
  • M. pege
  • M. polyonyx
• Genus Swima
  Swima
  Swima is a genus of polychaete worm that lives in the deep ocean. This deep ocean pelagic annelid has modified bioluminescent gills that can be cast off from an individual. These discarded gills somewhat resemble green "bombs" that remain illuminated for several seconds after they have been...
  
  
  • S. bombiviridis (also known as Green Bomber Worm or Bombardier Worm) , Monterey Bay
    Monterey Bay
    Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean, along the central coast of California. The bay is south of San Francisco and San Jose, between the cities of Santa Cruz and Monterey....
    
    , California
    California
    California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
    
    
• Genus Teuthidodrilus
  Teuthidodrilus
  Teuthidodrilus , is a genus of marine polychaete worms discovered by marine biologists from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in November 2010...
  
  
  • T. samae (also known as Squidworm) , Celebes Sea
    Celebes Sea
    The Celebes Sea of the western Pacific Ocean is bordered on the north by the Sulu Archipelago and Sulu Sea and Mindanao Island of the Philippines, on the east by the Sangihe Islands chain, on the south by Sulawesi, and on the west by Kalimantan in Indonesia...
    
    , East Indian Archipelago
    East Indian Archipelago
    The East Indian Archipelago is a marine area designated by the International Hydrographic Organization . It consists of a number of seas and straits in the East Indies ....
    
    

See also

• Eumetazoa
  Eumetazoa
  Eumetazoa is a clade comprising all major animal groups except sponges, placozoa and several other little known animals. Characteristics of eumetazoans include true tissues organized into germ layers, and an embryo that goes through a gastrula stage...
  
  
• Bilateria
  Bilateria
  The bilateria are all animals having a bilateral symmetry, i.e. they have a front and a back end, as well as an upside and downside. Radially symmetrical animals like jellyfish have a topside and downside, but no front and back...
  
  
• Protostomia
  Protostome
  Protostomia are a clade of animals. Together with the deuterostomes and a few smaller phyla, they make up the Bilateria, mostly comprising animals with bilateral symmetry and three germ layers...
  
  
• Spiralia
  Spiralia
  Spiralia is a grouping of animals."Lophotrochozoan" and "spiralian" are sometimes considered equivalent.It receives its name from the spiral cleavage found in most members....
  
  
• Lophotrochozoa
  Lophotrochozoa
  The Lophotrochozoa are a major grouping of protostome animals. The taxon was discovered based on molecular data. Molecular evidence such as a result of studies of the evolution of small-subunit ribosomal RNA supports the monophyly of the phyla listed in the infobox shown at right.-Terminology:The...
  
  
• Trochophore
  Trochophore
  A trochophore is a type of free-swimming planktonic marine larva with several bands of cilia.By moving their cilia rapidly, a water eddy is created. In this way they control the direction of their movement...