Malmgren, 1867
Bamboo worms
Description:
Polychaetes with long, cylindrical bodies. Usually truncated at one or both ends. The segments are long and swollen at one end by parapodial lobes. These characteristic features are well described by their popular name of bamboo-worms. The head consists of a median keel lying between a pair of nuchal slits. The keel may be strongly convex, giving a hood-like appearance, or flattened and incorporated into an oblique cephalic plate whose membranous rim is notched or cut into numerous teeth. Prostomium is fused to peristomium. The mouth is ventral and there is a small globular eversible proboscis. There are no antennae or palps.
First segment similar to following ones. Median segments elongated with tori at one end. Tentacular, dorsal and ventral cirri absent.
Parapodia biramous without aciculae. Notopodia truncated cylinders or short cones with variously ornamented capillaries; neuropodia elevated tori with multidentate hooks. Gills absent. Glandular bands or patches are scattered over the anterior and middle part of the body.
The pygidium may be in the form of a funnel fringed with cirri (anus opens terminally in the centre of the funnel, often on a conical protuberance), or an oblique plate similar to the cephalic plate (anus is dorsal and opens outside the plate), or spoon-like (Maldanidae).
Maldanids live in mucus tubes encrusted with particles of sediment, usually head-down in sandy or muddy bottoms.
After: Fauchald and Rouse, 1997 and Hayward and Ryland, 1990.
The following taxa of this family occur in the region:
Genus Chirimia
Genus Clymenella
Genus Clymenura
Subfamily Clymenurinae
Genus Euclymene
Subfamily Euclymeninae
Genus Isocirrus
Genus Lumbriclymene
Subfamily Lumbriclymeninae
Genus Maldane
Subfamily Maldaninae
Genus Microclymene
Genus Nicomache
Subfamily Nicomachinae
Genus Petaloproctus
Genus Praxillella
Genus Praxillura
Genus Proclymene
Genus Rhodine
Subfamily Rhodininae
Chirimia biceps
Clymenella cincta
Clymenella torquata
Clymenura lankesteri
Euclymene droebachiensis
Euclymene lindrothi
Euclymene oerstedi
Euclymene robusta
Isocirrus planiceps
Lumbriclymene cylindricauda
Lumbriclymene minor
Maldane arctica
Maldane sarsi
Microclymene acirrata
Nicomache lumbricalis
Nicomache minor
Nicomache personata
Nicomache trispinata
Petaloproctus borealis
Praxillella affinis
Praxillella praetermissa
Praxillella quadrilobata
Praxillura longissima
Proclymene muelleri
Rhodine gracilior
Rhodine loveni