Aeolosoma

Aeolosoma
Aeolosoma foraging for food
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Annelida
Class: Polychaeta
Order: incertae sedis
Family: Aeolosomatidae
Genus: Aeolosoma
Ehrenberg, 1828[1]

Aeolosoma is a genus of minute annelid worms, variously attributed either to oligochaetes or polychaetes.[2] Unlike most polychaetes, they reside in freshwater environments in various parts of the world.

Aeolosoma are transparent worms, very thin and of the length of 1.5–2 mm.[3] They usually reproduce asexually.[4] This is done by paratomy (fragmentation), when the posterior segments are separated from the parent worm. It starts when the worm reaches a certain number of millimeters (depending on the species).[5] Only one species, Aeolosoma singulare, is known to reproduce sexually.[6]

Aeolosoma feed on microalgae, microorganisms and detritus.[7] Their mouth acts like a small vacuum cleaner, which helps them suck up their food into their system.[8]

  1. ^ "Aeolosoma Ehrenberg, 1828". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Freshwater Ecology was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ creaturefact. "Aeolosoma". The Occasional Creature Fact. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  4. ^ Marescalchi, Ombretta; Gugnali, Andrea; Falconi, Rosanna (September 2008). "First Report on the Chromosomes of Aeolosoma viride and Aeolosoma hemprichi (Aeolosomatidae; Annelida)". Zoological Science. 25 (9): 904–906. doi:10.2108/zsj.25.904. ISSN 0289-0003. PMID 19267599. S2CID 46294461.
  5. ^ Falconi, Rosana; Gugnali, Andrea; Zaccanti, Francesco (12 May 2015). "Quantitative observations on asexual reproduction of Aeolosoma viride (Annelida, Aphanoneura)". Invertebrate Biology. 134 (2): 151–161. doi:10.1111/ivb.12087.
  6. ^ Falconi, Rosanna; Renzulli, Tommaso; Zaccanti, Francesco (July 2006). "Survival and Reproduction in Aeolosoma viride (Annelida, Aphanoneura)". Hydrobiologia. 564 (1): 95–99. doi:10.1007/s10750-005-1711-2. ISSN 0018-8158. S2CID 2477206.
  7. ^ "Aeolosomatidae data - Encyclopedia of Life". eol.org. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  8. ^ Singer, Robert (January 1978). "Suction-Feeding in Aeolosoma (Annelida)". Transactions of the American Microscopical Society. 97 (1): 105–111. doi:10.2307/3225689. ISSN 0003-0023. JSTOR 3225689.