PORT PHILLIP BAY


Dorvilleid worm 

Dorvillea australiensis (Mcintosh, 1885)

View scientific description and taxonomy

Scientific Details

Family level description.
Dorvilleidae are a diverse family which include many highly modified commensal and even parasitic forms, however the commonly seen species are free-living in soft sediments and are morphologically uniform: they have a simple prostomium with 4 similar appendages (comprising a pair of antennae and a pair of palps). The eversible pharynx carries a distinctive series of hard denticles sometimes visible through the ventral body wall even without dissection as two dark arcs. Dorsal bundles of chaetae are absent; ventrally chaetae include simple capillaries, forked chaetae and chaetae with compound blades.

Species level technical description.
Paired antennae present; articulated. Paired palps present; with palpostyle. Ventral muscular pharyngeal apparatus with linear muscle cells and parallel myofilaments. Mandibles (and maxillae) present. Mandibles triangular-shaped; accessory anterolateral teeth present. Maxillary carrier present; free from superior basal plates, or fused to superior basal plates; not K-type. Superior free denticles present; more than 8. Inferior basal plates present. Inferior free denticles present; poorly developed, or well developed. Dorsal cirrus present; from chaetiger 2; with distal article (cirrostyle); equal in length or extending just short of acicular lobe. Ventral neuropodial chaetal lobe absent. Ventral cirri present. Notoaciculae present; occur on most chaetigers. Neuroaciculae present. Supra-acicular, furcate (or geniculate) neurochaetae absent. Supra-acicular, capillary neurochaetae present. Sub-acicular, compound neurochaetae present. Anal cirri present; two pairs present. Median, ventral, unpaired pygidial stylus absent.

Taxonomy

Phylum:
Annelida
Class:
Polychaeta
Order:
Eunicida
Family:
Dorvilleidae
Genus:
Dorvillea
Species:
australiensis

General Description

In members of this genus furcate (or geniculate) neurochaetae are absent. Body up to about 15 cm long.

Biology

These are much larger, more robust, polychaetes than the other genera of Dorvilleidae commonly found in southern Australia.

Habitat

Estuaries, embayments and other inshore waters.

Soft substrates

Seagrass meadows

Distribution guide

South-eastern Australia.

Species Group

Worms › Dorvilleid worms

Depth

Shore (0-1 m)
Shallow (1-30 m)
Deep ( > 30 m)

Water Column

On or near sea floor

Max Size

15 cm

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Native to Australia

Species Code

MoV 316

Identify

Conservation Status

  • DSE Advisory List : Not listed
  • EPBC Act 1999 : Not listed
  • IUCN Red List : Not listed

Author

article author Wilson, R.

Robin Wilson is a Senior Curator of marine invertebrates at Museum Victoria.

citation

Cite this page as:
Wilson, R., 2011, Dorvilleid worm, Dorvillea australiensis, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 30 Apr 2024, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/7456

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