Ehrenberg, 1831
Description
Small worms. Prostomium roundish triangular, much broader than the subsequent segments. Its ventral ciliated field extending a little to lateral fringes of dorsal side. Sensory pits dorsolateral at 0/1, roundish. Cutaneous glands red or orange, evenly distributed. Hair chaetae only, 2-6(8) per bundle, flexible, slightly bent (bayonet-shaped) in their proximal part, in two lengths: in dorsal bundles longer ones 90-120 µm, shorter ones 60-80 µm; in ventral bundles 70-100 µm and 35-60 µm, respectively. Length of chains of up to 6 zooids, up to 2 mm, length of the first zooid 0.6-1 mm, width 0.055-0.075 mm, number of segments in the first zooid usually 7. Differing from Aeolosoma quaternarium in broader prostomium and straighter chaetae. The third common red-coloured species, Aeolosoma litorale, displays considerably larger segment number, coloured glands on dorsal side only, and prostomium fused with I.
Gliding on substratum.
Distribution
Cosmopolitan.
Ecology
In freshwater.
Reproduction
Asexual reproduction by paratomy (budding) prevailing. Maturing seldom.
Literature
Ehrenberg, 1831; Orsted, 1842 ; Vejdovsky, 1884b: 21, Pl. I Figs 1-7; Marcus, 1944: 21-22, Figs 7A-B; Bunke, 1967: 194-200, 306-310, Figs 1-2, 63, 65; Van der Land, 1971: 670-672; Chekanovskaya, 1981: 178-179, Figs 69, 70A; Kasprzak, 1981: 72-73, Figs 83-85.