Eunicidae
Encyclopedia
Eunicidae is a family
of polychaete
s. Many eunicids reach a considerable size. Their jaws are known from Ordovician sediments. They live throughout the seas; a few species are parasitic.
One of the most conspicuous of the eunicids is the giant, dark purple, iridescent "Bobbit worm
" (Eunice aphroditois), found at low tide under boulders on southern Australian shores. Its robust, muscular body can be as long as 2 metre
s.
Some species of eunicids prey on coral
. Individuals have been found living unnoticed in reef aquaria
for long enough to grow to great size.
They have an evertible proboscis.
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...
s. Many eunicids reach a considerable size. Their jaws are known from Ordovician sediments. They live throughout the seas; a few species are parasitic.
One of the most conspicuous of the eunicids is the giant, dark purple, iridescent "Bobbit worm
Bobbit worm
Eunice aphroditois, the Bobbit worm, is an aquatic predatory polychaete worm dwelling at the ocean floor at depths of approximately to ....
" (Eunice aphroditois), found at low tide under boulders on southern Australian shores. Its robust, muscular body can be as long as 2 metre
Metre
The metre , symbol m, is the base unit of length in the International System of Units . Originally intended to be one ten-millionth of the distance from the Earth's equator to the North Pole , its definition has been periodically refined to reflect growing knowledge of metrology...
s.
Some species of eunicids prey on coral
Coral
Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
. Individuals have been found living unnoticed in reef aquaria
Reef aquarium
A reef aquarium or reef tank is an marine aquarium that prominently displays live corals and other marine invertebrates as well as fish that play a role in maintaining the coral reef environment...
for long enough to grow to great size.
They have an evertible proboscis.