Eisen, 1879b
Type genus Tubifex Lamarck, 1816
Number of species more than 800. In fresh waters of NWE, 23 genera with 53 species, belonging to three subfamilies:
- Subfamily Phallodrilinae Brinkhurst in Brinkhurst and Jamieson, 1971
- Subfamily Rhyacodrilinae Hrabe, 1963
- Subfamily Tubificinae Eisen, 1879b
Aulodrilus japonicus Yamaguchi, 1953
Aulodrilus limnobius Bretscher, 1899
Aulodrilus pigueti Kowalewski, 1914
Aulodrilus pluriseta (Piguet, 1906a)
Bothrioneurum vejdovskyanum Stolc, 1886
Branchiura sowerbyi Beddard, 1892
Embolocephalus velutinus (Grube, 1879)
Epirodrilus pygmaeus (Hrabe, 1935)
Gianius aquaedulcis (Hrabe, 1960)
Gianius riparius (Giani and Martinez-Ansemil, 1981)
Haber speciosus (Hrabe, 1931b)
Haber turquinae (Juget and Lafont, 1979)
Ilyodrilus templetoni (Southern, 1909)
Isochaetides michaelseni (Lastockin, 1936)
Krenedrilus sergei Giani et al., 1990
Limnodrilus cervix Brinkhurst, 1963
Limnodrilus claparedeanus Ratzel, 1868
Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri Claparède, 1862
Limnodrilus maumeensis Brinkhurst and Cook, 1966
Limnodrilus profundicola (Verrill, 1871 in Smith and Verrill, 1871)
Limnodrilus udekemianus Claparède, 1862
Monopylephorus irroratus (Verrill, 1873)
Monopylephorus limosus (Hatai, 1898)
Pararhyacodrilus ekmani (Piguet, 1928)
Pararhyacodrilus palustris (Ditlevsen, 1904)
Peipsidrilus pusillus Timm, 1977
Peristodrilus montanus (Hrabe, 1962)
Potamothrix bavaricus (Oschmann, 1913)
Potamothrix bedoti (Piguet, 1913)
Potamothrix hammoniensis (Michaelsen, 1901a)
Potamothrix heuscheri (Bretscher, 1900b)
Potamothrix moldaviensis Vejdovsky and Mrázek, 1903
Potamothrix vejdovskyi (Hrabe, 1941)
Psammoryctides albicola (Michaelsen, 1901a)
Psammoryctides barbatus (Grube, 1861)
Psammoryctides moravicus (Hrabe, 1934)
Quistadrilus multisetosus (Smith, 1900)
Rhyacodrilus amphigenus Juget, 1987
Rhyacodrilus ardierae Lafont and Juget, 1993
Rhyacodrilus balmensis Juget, 1959
Rhyacodrilus carsticus Kosel, 1980
Rhyacodrilus coccineus (Vejdovsky, 1876a)
Rhyacodrilus falciformis Bretscher, 1901
Rhyacodrilus subterraneus Hrabe, 1963
Spiridion phreaticola (Juget, 1987)
Spirosperma ferox Eisen, 1879b
Tubifex blanchardi Vejdovsky, 1891
Tubifex ignotus (Stolc, 1886)
Tubifex nerthus Michaelsen, 1908
Tubifex newaensis (Michaelsen, 1903a)
Tubifex smirnowi Lastockin, 1927
Tubifex tubifex (Müller, 1774)
Tubificoides heterochaetus (Michaelsen, 1926a)
Jump to the Text Key of this family Page 96: Family Tubificidae.
Description
Oligochaetes with plesioporous male duct equipped with atrium; spermathecae in testicular segment (before clitellum and segment with male pores); and variable number of chaetae per bundle. Chaetae as bifid crotchets in most species, often also hair and modified short (pectinate, needle) chaetae in dorsal bundles, like in Naididae. As a rule, male pores in XI, and spermathecal pores in X. Modified genital (spermathecal and/or penial) chaetae can occur in corresponding ventral bundles. In some single genera and species, asexual reproduction by architomy (fragmentation), resulting in a forward shift of whole reproductive apparatus, with male pores in VII, VIII or IX. No eyes. Not able to swim. Tubificidae can be easily distinguished from majority of other families which reveal either strongly paired or only simple-pointed chaetae, and reproductive organs located in other segments. The closely related family of Naididae, with similar chaetae, differs from Tubificidae in reproduction mostly by paratomy (budding), and in a more anterior location of reproductive system. Since Naididae belong to Tubificidae in the cladistic sense, Tubificidae are actually a paraphyletic taxon (Erséus, 1990).
Burrowing in sediment.
Distribution
Cosmopolitan.
Ecology
In fresh, brackish and marine water. Feeding on sediment, digesting mainly bacteria.
Reproduction
Mostly sexual, with eggs laid in cocoons. In some separate genera and species also asexual reproduction by architomy (fragmentation).
Literature
Eisen, 1879b: 8-10; Vejdovsky, 1884a: 16, 42-44; Brinkhurst and Jamieson, 1971: 444-450; Chekanovskaya, 1981: 275-280; Hrabe, 1981: 61-62; Kasprzak, 1981: 138-140; Erséus, 1990: 57-63.