What are Siboglinidae?

Siboglinidae is a family of polychaete annelid worms that includes creatures formerly classified as separate phyla, such as Pogonophora and Vestimentifera. These vermiform creatures live inside thin tubes at ocean depths ranging from 100 to 10,000 meters, and they can be found near hydrothermal vents, methane seeps, and whale carcasses. Adult members, such as giant tube worms, lack a digestive system and rely on symbiotic bacteria for their energy needs.

What we know

• Siboglinidae is a family of polychaete annelid worms that encompasses the former phyla Pogonophora and Vestimentifera. [1, 2]
• These organisms live in tubes either buried in sediment or attached to hard substrata at ocean depths between 100 and 10,000 meters. [2]
• Adult Riftia worms, a genus within Siboglinidae, lack a digestive system and rely on symbiotic sulfur-oxidising bacteria for energy. [3]
• The first specimen of this family was dredged from Indonesian waters in 1900 and later studied by Maurice Caullery. [2]

Where to go next

• how it workedHow do hydrothermal vent tube worms survive without a mouth?
• the bigger pictureWhat are polychaete annelids?
• whoWho was Maurice Caullery?
• whereWhere are deep-sea hydrothermal vents located?
• whenWhat are the biological classification ranks above family?
• an unexpected connectionHow does a bivalve mollusk share traits with deep-sea tube worms?Although Kuphus polythalamia is actually a bivalve mollusk, it shares the common name giant tube worm with members of the unrelated Siboglinidae family.

Sources

• [1]Siboglinidae (Wikidata Q809618) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Siboglinidae · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Riftia · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Phylum · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Tube worm · CC BY-SA 4.0