Savigny, 1818
Description:
As Sabellidae, with a distal crown and abdominal inversion of the thoracic arrangement of chaetae, but the tubes are calcareous. Prostomium is fused to peristomium. Most species develop opercula, which are often characteristic in shape and usually single; the operculum arises on the left side but alternates between left and right in successive regenerations in some genera. The faecal groove passes around right side, as in Sabellidae; body otherwise bilaterally symmetrical. The distal collar of the first segment extends symmetrically as 'thoracic membranes' down the dorsal side close to the left and right fascicles of chaetae, sometimes reaching only as far as segment 2, usually extending throughout thorax and often posteriorly to thorax as a ventral apron.
First segment usually bears collar chaetae but never uncini; the collar chaetae are often generically characteristic.
Parapodia without dorsal and ventral cirri. Thoracic notopodia short, truncate cylinders with capillary chaetae and thoracic neuropodia tori with uncini. In the abdomen the situation is reversed.
Pygidium without cirri (Bodyplan Serpulidae).
The tubes are usually attached to rocks, ships' hulls or kelp holdfasts, seldom to algal fronds (Serpulidae).
After: Fauchald and Rouse, 1997 and Hayward and Ryland, 1990.
For identification to species level, jump to the Picture key: Page 238
The following taxa of this family occur in the region:
Genus Apomatus
Genus Chitinopoma
Genus Circeis
Genus Ditrupa
Genus Ficopomatus
Genus Filograna
Genus Hydroides
Genus Janua
Genus Josephella
Genus Jugaria
Genus Paradexiospira
Genus Placostegus
Genus Pomatoceros
Genus Protula
Genus Salmacina
Genus Serpula
Subfamily Serpulinae
Subfamily Spirorbinae
Genus Spirorbis
Apomatus similis
Chitinopoma serrula
Circeis armoricana
Circeis spirillum
Ditrupa arietina
Ficopomatus enigmaticus
Filograna implexa
Hydroides elegans
Hydroides norvegica
Janua brasiliensis
Janua pagenstecheri
Josephella marenzelleri
Jugaria granulata
Paradexiospira vitrea
Placostegus tridentatus
Pomatoceros lamarcki
Pomatoceros triqueter
Protula tubularia
Salmacina dysteri
Serpula vermicularis
Spirorbis corallinae
Spirorbis spirorbis
Spirorbis tridentatus