Guide to New Zealand Shore Polychaetes

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Platynereis new species, metamorphosed mature female (Nereididae)

Identification

Begin here ... which polychaete family-group?

OR ... group known ... which polychaete family?

See families in Eunicida-group, Phyllodocida-group, Sabellida-group, Scolecida-group, Spionida-group, Terebellida-group.

OR ... family known ... which polychaete species?

See species in Arenicolidae, Capitellidae, Chaetopteridae, Cirratulidae, Cossuridae, Dorvilleidae,Eunicidae, Flabelligeridae, Glyceridae, Goniadidae, Hesionidae, Lumbrineridae, Magelonidae, Maldanidae, Nephtyidae, Nereididae, Opheliidae, Oenonidae, Onuphidae, Orbiniidae, Oweniidae, Paraonidae, Pectinariidae, Phyllodocidae, Polynoidae, Sabellariidae Sabellidae, Scalibregmatidae, Serpulidae, Sigalionidae, Spionidae, Syllidae, Terebellidae

How to identify worms using this guide

The guide has has three steps on this page to narrow down the possibilities, and then you can move directly to a species to test if it is what you have. First begin below to pick the likely family group, then glance through the short characterisations of each family of that group. If it matches your worm then either read much more about the family and its New Zealand species under the "more on ..." link, or go directly to one of the species links to see what one looks like. The most information, including a brief diagnosis and notes on biology, is displayed on the species pages. Links off that page give further technical information such as the synonymy (past records in the literature and past names used), and the technical diagnosis of the genus. Some species will have links to a published description and drawings. It is also possible to search various internet databases for further information on the species.

Which polychaete family group?

(A guide only, not using rigorous definition)

Head without paired feeding tentacles, without jaws. Each segment with or without a pair of gills.

Scolecida, a group of subsurface sediment eaters. Mostly found on soft shores. Few of this group live on rocky shores.

Head with one pair of flexible grooved feeding tentacles, without jaws. Anterior segments often with a pair of gills.

Spionida, a group of tube- or burrow-dwelling surface particle pickers. Mostly found on soft shores or subtidally. Few of this group live on rocky shores.

Head with many pairs of flexible feeding tentacles, without jaws.

Terebellida, a group of tube-dwelling particle pickers. Mostly found on soft shores, or in sediment subtidally, and some of this group are common in rock crevices.

Head usually with a terminal funnel-like fan of inflexible ‘tentacles,’ without jaws.

Sabellida, a group of tube-dwelling particle filterers. Some of this group live in colonial groups on rocky shores, some on soft shores, most live subtidally.

Head with chitinous jaws, usually (not Glyceridae, Goniadidae) also conspicuous eyes, and short sensory tentacles.

Jaws up to two pincer-like pairs terminal on extensible proboscis. Each segment usually without a pair of gills.

Phyllodocida, a group of mostly surface-wandering food graspers occurring everywhere. Some of this group are well-adapted to rock crevices.

Jaws only one pincer-like pair, barely extensible, but grouped with other toothed plates. Midbody segments often with pairs of gills.

Eunicida, a group of mostly burrowing food graspers, mostly subtidal, in sediment or on rock and coral. A few of this group are well-adapted to rock crevices. Few soft shores species.

Shore families and commonest shore species

Species names that are not clickable links do not yet have pages. Some of these will be added progressively. Others are mostly not known to be sufficiently widely occurring to be treated in detail here. Click on the "More on ..." links for each family, unless the name of the species sought is already known. A number of important polychaete families do not normally occur intertidally and are not mentioned here, and some rare families have been omitted.

Scolecida:

Arenicolidae. Very large, plump burrowers living deep in the sand.
(More on arenicolids ...).
Rocky shore: Absent.
Soft shore: Abarenicola affinis, Abarenicola devia
Capitellidae. Thread-like long, fragile unornamented burrowers with few chaetae.
(More on capitellids ...).
Rocky shore: Absent.
Soft shore: Heteromastus filiformis, Capitella capitata (and complex)
Cossuridae. Small burrowers with a single elongate anterior filament.
(More on cossurids ...).
Rocky shore: Absent.
Soft shore: Cossura consimilis
Maldanidae. Blunt-ended, cylindrical, tube-dwellers with 'bamboo-stalk' bodies.
(More on maldanids...).
Rocky shore: The only rocky shore maldanids are tiny worms living in algal turf.
Soft shore: Macroclymenella stewartensis, Axiothella serrata, Asychis amphiglyptus.
Opheliidae. Short-bodied, cigar-shaped, muscular sand burrowers.
(More on opheliids ...).
Rocky shore: Absent.
Soft shore: Armandia maculata, Euzonus otagoensis. See Scalibregmatidae for Travisia olens.
Orbiniidae. Thread-like burrowers without head appendages, but ornamented with segmental gills, papillae, lobes, and numerous chaetae
(More on orbiniids...).
Rocky shore: The only rocky shore orbiniid is a tiny Naineris species living in algal turf.
Soft shore: Orbinia papillosa, Scoloplos cylindrifer
Paraonidae. Small polychaetes without palps, with neat pairs of segmental gills.
(More on paraonids ...).
Rocky shore: Absent.
Soft shore: Several poorly-known or undescribed species including Aricidea species.
Scalibregmatidae. Wrinkle-skinned worms usually with head tip bluntly bilobed into a T-shape.
(More on scalibregmatids ...).
Rocky shore: A scalibregmatid might occasionally be found in an algal holdfast.
Soft shore: Hyboscolex longichaeta and Travisia olens (moved from Opheliidae)

Spionida:

Chaetopteridae. Soft and fragile tube-dwellers in characteristic horny/papery tubes
(More on chaetopterids ...).
Rocky shore: Chaetopterus sp. is more usually subtidal, but when very abundant will also occur attached to the underside of rocks and boulders, and in pools.
Soft shore: Absent, although old Chaetopterus tubes may be cast up.
Magelonidae. Small thin shovel-nosed burrowers with one pair of raggedly-papillose palps.
(More on magelonids ...).
Rocky shore: Absent.
Soft shore: Magelona spp. undescribed. One similar to M. dakini from Australia.
Spionidae. Small burrowers or surface tube-dwellers or crevice- and algal turf-dwellers, or shell-borers with one pair of deciduous feeding palps, and multiple pairs of segmental gills.
(More on spionids ...).
  Rocky shore: Prionospio pyramidalis, and Boccardia chilensis occur in crevices.
  Soft shore: Many spionids present including: Aonides trifida (also as A. oxycephala), Boccardia syrtis, Boccardia acus, Boccardiella magniovata, Carazziella phillipensis, Malacoceros sp., Polydora cornuta, Prionospio aucklandica, Pseudopolydora antennata, Pseudopolydora paucibranchiata, Scolecolepides benhami, Scolecolepides freemani, Microspio maori, Scolelepis antipoda, Scolelepis sp.
  Shell-boring: Many Polydora-group species including Boccardia acus, Boccardia chilensis, Boccardia knoxi, Boccardia lamellata, Boccardia otakouica, Boccardia proboscidea, Carazziella quadricirrata, Dipolydora armata, Dipolydora dorsomaculata, Dipolydora giardi, Polydora cornuta, Polydora haswelli, Polydora hoplura, Polydora websteri.

Terebellida:

Cirratulidae. Plump sedentary burrowers with a profusion of very elongate simple filaments along the body
(More on cirratulids ...).
Rocky shore: Timarete anchylochaetus in crevices.
Soft shore: Timarete anchylochaetus is also a soft-shore species, but here it occurs more deeply buried, often under objects on the sand. Shell-boring: Dodecaceria berkeleyi on abalone (paua), mussels, etc.
Flabelligeridae. Plump sedentary crevice dwellers with retractible anterior palps and gills and often an anterior cage of long chaetae
(More on flabelligerids...).
Rocky shore: Pherusa parmata is common in soft rock borings in northern New Zealand.
Soft shore: Absent. However flabelligerids are common sediment-dwellers offshore.
Pectinariidae. Tapering worms, digging subsurface whilst carrying an elegant open-ended brittle cone-shaped tube of glued sandgrains.
(More on pectinariids ...).
Rocky shore: Absent.
Soft shore: Pectinaria australis
Terebellidae. Large tube or crevice dwellers with a confusion of constantly active head tentacles and a few pairs of anterior gills.
(More on terebellids...).
Rocky shore: Neoleprea papilla, Pseudopista rostrata, Terebella plagiostoma are common intertidal crevice terebellids.
Soft shore: Very large Streblosoma toddae can occur in debris tubes on harbour flats.

Sabellida:

Oweniidae. Maldanid-like tube-dwellers with mouth rimmed by feeding appendages.
(More on oweniids ...).
Rocky shore: Absent.
Soft shore: Owenia petersenae
Sabellariidae. Habitat-modifying worms building mounds of cemented sand-grain tubes
(More on sabellariids ...).
Rocky shore: Neosabellaria kaiparaensis colonies can be a conspicuous feature of the rocky intertidal.
Soft shore: Absent.
Sabellidae. Large dwellers in leathery tubes or tiny 'naked' crawling forms with a 'feather-duster' crown of two semicircular fans of stiff filaments
(More on sabellids ...).
Rocky shore: Small sabellids might occur in rock pools and turf.
Soft shore: Sabellids are not usually present in intertidal sands, though some minute forms do occur low on the shore.
Serpulidae. Colonial 'feather-duster' crowned dwellers in calcareous tubes, the opening of which is blocked by an ornamented plug.
(More on serpulids ...).
Rocky shore: Spirobranchus cariniferus colonies can form a continuous zone coverage in the intertidal.
Soft shore: Spirobranchus cariniferus present on shell and stone, Ficopomatus enigmaticus colonies may occur near low tide.

Phyllodocida:

Glyceridae. Muscular burrowing cylindrical predators with proboscis tip with four simple fangs.
(More on glycerids ...).
Rocky shore: Absent.
Soft shore: Glycera ovigera
Goniadidae. Slender burrowing predators with proboscis tip with two ornamented fangs.
(More on goniadids ...).
Rocky shore: Absent.
Soft shore: Glycinde dorsalis, Goniada sp.
Hesionidae. Fragile active surface-dwelling predators.
(More on hesionids ...).
Rocky shore: Ophiodromus angustifrons is more of a subtidal epifaunal specialist but it will be found on rock shores.
Soft shore: Microphthalmus riseri
Nephtyidae. Muscular, vigorous, free-burrowers, usually white or cream in colour, with flattened and squarish bodies.
(More on nephtyids ...).
Rocky shore: Absent.
Soft shore: Aglaophamus macroura
Nereididae. Active worms, usually green or brown in colour, with patterns of black chitinous denticles on the short eversible proboscis.
(More on nereidids ...).
Rocky shore: Many species, especially in Perinereis species ,may occur in crevices and in holdfasts. The very large Perinereis amblyodonta is the most noticeable. Also expected are Perinereis camiguinoides, Perinereis pseudocamiguina, Nereis falcaria, Nereis ovarius.
Soft shore: Ceratonereis sp. A, neanthes succinea, Nicon aestuariensis, Perinereis vallata, Platynereis australis
Phyllodocidae. long, slender, active predators possessing enlarged leaf-like dorsal and ventral parapodial cirri
(More on phyllodocids ...).
Rocky shore: Eulalia microphylla is a conspicuous crawling polychaete on rock and boulder shores.
Soft shore: One or two species of small as yet unidentified phyllodocid may occur.
Polynoidae. Flattened, often rather oval-shaped predators protected by a number of large overlapping scale-like plates.
(More on polynoids ...).
Rocky shore: Lepidonotus polychromus, Lepidastheniella comma
Soft shore: Disconatus accolus, Lepidastheniella spp.
Sigalionidae. Long, usually rectangular-bodied predators protected by a number of large overlapping scale-like plates.
(More on sigalionids ...).
Rocky shore: Absent.
Soft shore: Pelogenia antipoda
Syllidae. These delicate and colourful predators have long parapodial cirri and may be partly transparent.
(More on syllids ...).
Rocky shore: Many small poorly-known species. Also Odontosyllis polycera.
Soft shore: Sphaerosyllis spp.

Eunicida:

Dorvilleidae. Active surface-dwelling omnivores with chitinous jaw elements consisting of four longitudinal rows of minute, toothed, black plates, and with two pairs of appendages on the rounded prostomium.
(More on dorvilleids ...).
Rocky shore: Dorvillea australiensis is more an epifaunal species than a crevice-dweller.
Soft shore: Microdorvillea otagensis
Eunicidae. Active surface-dwelling omnivores with complex chitinous jaw elements.
(More on eunicids ...).
Rocky shore: Marphysa depressa and Eunice species occur in crevices.
Soft shore: Absent.
Lumbrineridae. Muscular, elongate, tough-skinned cylindrical worms
(More on lumbrinerids ...).
Rocky shore: Lumbrineris sphaerocephala may occur in crevices and in holdfasts.
Soft shore: Usually subtidal.
Oenonidae. Muscular, elongate, slim, cylindrical worms similar to lumbrinerids
(More on oenonids ...).
Rocky shore: Absent.
Soft shore: Tainokia iridescens, a little-known species with one very short antenna.
Onuphidae. Large scavenging tube-dwelling worms with a cluster of five long annulated head antennae.
(More on onuphids ...).
  Rocky shore: Absent.
  Soft shore: Hartmanonuphis pectinata, a worm similar to the carnivorous beachworms on Australian surf beaches.
  Shell-boring: Brevibrachium maculatum boring on abalone (paua).

Compiled by Geoffrey B. Read (comment and error reports welcome). Original content copyright © 2004 NIWA.
The information found in this guide may be cited for publication or used for public education material.
Please fully acknowledge re-use or quote. The recommended citation for the shore polychaete guide is as follows:

Read, G. B. (Compiler) 2004. Guide to New Zealand Shore Polychaetes. Web publication. <http://biocollections.org/pub/worms/nz/Polychaeta/ShorePoly/NZShorePolychaeta_begin.htm> Date of access dd-mmm-yyyy

*Head* without paired feeding tentacles, without jaws. Each segment with or without a pair of gills.		Scolecida, a group of subsurface sediment eaters. Mostly found on soft shores. Few of this group live on rocky shores.
*Head* with one pair of flexible grooved feeding tentacles, without jaws. Anterior segments often with a pair of gills.		Spionida, a group of tube- or burrow-dwelling surface particle pickers. Mostly found on soft shores or subtidally. Few of this group live on rocky shores.
*Head* with many pairs of flexible feeding tentacles, without jaws.		Terebellida, a group of tube-dwelling particle pickers. Mostly found on soft shores, or in sediment subtidally, and some of this group are common in rock crevices.
*Head* usually with a terminal funnel-like fan of inflexible ‘tentacles,’ without jaws.		Sabellida, a group of tube-dwelling particle filterers. Some of this group live in colonial groups on rocky shores, some on soft shores, most live subtidally.
*Head* with chitinous jaws, usually (not Glyceridae, Goniadidae) also conspicuous eyes, and short sensory tentacles.	Jaws up to two pincer-like pairs terminal on extensible proboscis. Each segment usually without a pair of gills.	Phyllodocida, a group of mostly surface-wandering food graspers occurring everywhere. Some of this group are well-adapted to rock crevices.
	Jaws only one pincer-like pair, barely extensible, but grouped with other toothed plates. Midbody segments often with pairs of gills.	Eunicida, a group of mostly burrowing food graspers, mostly subtidal, in sediment or on rock and coral. A few of this group are well-adapted to rock crevices. Few soft shores species.