List of Annelida of Ireland

This is a list of the Annelida recorded from Ireland.

In Ireland the number of species is:

• Class Polychaeta 404 species
• Class Clitellata
• Subclass Oligochaeta 179 species
• Subclass Hirudinea 32 species ^[1]

Taxonomy Here the leeches and oligochaetes are placed together in the Class Clitellata. The marine Polychaeta are ranked as a Class. These groups (and the Annelida) may be monophyletic, paraphyletic or polyphyletic. (Rouse and Pleijel, 2001).

2 species

First segment projects forward of the head. Pisione.

1 species

"Felt"-covered scale worms. Aphrodita, Laetmonice, Palmyra (Palmyridae)

4 species including

• Aphrodita aculeata

29 species including

• Alentia gelatinosa
• Gattyana cirrosa
• Lepidonotus squamatus

Minute scale worms. Dorsal scales ringed. Pholoe, Pholoides images of Pholoidae

4 species

Scale worms (with dorsal scales) and compound neurosetae. Sigalion, Psammolyce, Sthenelais.

8 species including

• Sigalion mathildae

Active predators with leaf-like dorsal cirri, notopodia otherwise reduced. Phyllodoce, Eumida Eteone and many others.

38 species including

• Eulalia viridis
• Eteone foliosa
• Eteone longa
• Eumida sanguinea
• Hesionura elongata
• Phyllodoce lineata
• Phyllodoce maculata
• Phyllodoce rosea

1 species

• Chaetopterus variopedatus

A small obscure family, perhaps with hesionid affinities. Short body and proboscis unarmed. Lacydonia.

1 species

Slender pelagic forms with giant eyes. Vanadis, Alciopa.

3 species

Short pelagic forms. Lopadorrhynchus.

5 species

Transparent pelagic group with tapering bodies and foliaceous segmental cirri. Sagitella, Typhloscolex, Travisiopsis.

2 species

Flattened pelagic forms with long cirri on segment-two. Tomopteris

2 species

Cylindrical forms with a conical prostomium and four jaws. Glycera, Hemipodus.

1 species

• Glycera alba

Similar to Glyceridae with the anterior parapodia uniramous, multiple jaw- pieces, and chevron structures on the proboscis. Goniada, Glycinde.

3 species

Dorsal rows of spherical tubercles. Sphaerodorum.

4 species

10 species

1 species

38 species including

• Haplosyllis spongicola
• Sphaerosyllis levantina
• Syllis prolifera

10 species including

• Alitta succinea
• Alitta virens
• Hediste diversicolor
• Platynereis dumerilii
• Eunereis longissima

11 species including

• Nephtys cirrosa

3 species

1 species

1 species

8 species

A Eunicida group lacking notopodia and with reduced or absent dorsal head appendages. Lumbrineris, Ninoe, Lysarete.

5 species

Similar to Lumbrineridae with long maxillary carriers. Arabella, Drilonereis, Oenone.

3 species

A Eunicida group with multiple jaw elements. Dorvillea, Ophryotrocha

6 species including

• Protodorvillea kefersteini

3 species

Resembling Spionidae (but unrelated). With or without a single antenna, with gills, and without palps. Paraonis, Aricidea.

13 species

1 species

Fragile forms with stiff parapodial lobes and multiple simple setal types. Poecilochaetus.

1 species

31 species including

• Aonides paucibranchiata
• Scolelepis bonnieri
• Scolelepis squamata
• Spiophanes bombyx

Small forms with a shovel-like head and papillose palp pair. Magelona.

5 species

12 species including

• Cirratulus cirratus

Slender forms with a single median palp on dorsal side of one anterior setiger.

1 species

Papillated body and cross-barred setae. Flabelligera, Diplocirrus, Brada.

4 species including

• Diplocirrus glaucus
• Diplocirrus incognitus

1 species

9 species including

• Heteromastus filiformis

3 species including

• Arenicola marina

Bamboo worms. Long and cylindrical and truncate at one or both ends. Most with long, cylindrical segments with a pair of nuchal slits and a median cephalic keel. Maldane, Axiothella, Rhodine, Nicomache.

10 species

9 species including

• Ophelina acuminata
• Thoracophelia flabellifera
• Ophelia limacina

Maggot-like or anteriorly inflated group with a small T-shaped prostomium. Scalibregma, Hyboscolex.

4 species including

• Scalibregma inflatum

1 species

• Nerilla antennata

Elongate nematode-like forms without setae, and with a stiff frontal tentacle pair. Polygordius.

2 species

Minute forms without setae and with a flexible tentacle pair (near-frontal, but separated). They live in spaces between sediment grains. Protodrilus.

1 species

• Dinophilus taeniatus

1 species

2 species

3 species

3 species including

• Sabellaria alveolata
• Sabellaria spinulosa
• Sabella spallanzanii

Forms with no posterior notosetae and usually with simple, transversely-arranged gills. Ampharete, Melinna

5 species including

• Ampharete acutifrons

Resemble Terebellidae but have long-handled hooks. Terebellides.

2 species

23 species including

• Lanice conchilega
• Thelepus cincinnatus
• Lagis koreni

19 species including

• Sabella pavonina

8 species including

• Janua pagenstecheri
• Ficopomatus enigmaticus
• Serpula vermicularis
• Pomatoceros triqueter
• Pomatoceros lamarckii

Small asymmetric fan worms with coiled calcareous tubes cemented to algae and rock. Spirorbis.

8 species including

• Spirorbis spirorbis

1 species

Class Aphanoneura

• Aeolosoma hemprichi
• Aeolosoma variegatum

Class Clitellata Subclass Oligochaeta

1 species

1 species

26 species ^[2]

• Allolobophora chlorotica
• Allolobophoridella eiseni
• Aporrectodea caliginosa
• Aporrectodea cupulifera
• Aporrectodea icterica
• Aporrectodea limicola
• Aporrectodea longa
• Aporrectodea rosea
• Dendrobaena attemsi
• Dendrobaena hortensis
• Dendrobaena octaedra
• Dendrobaena veneta
• Dendrodrilus rubidus
• Dendrodrilus subrubicundus
• Eisenia fetida
• Eisenia parva
• Eiseniella tetraedra
• Helodrilus oculatus
• Lumbricus castaneus
• Lumbricus festivus
• Lumbricus friendi
• Lumbricus rubellus
• Lumbricus terrestris
• Murchieona minuscula
• Octolasion cyaneum
• Octolasion lacteum
• Satchellius mammalis

96 species

50 species

5 species

Class Clitellata Subclass Hirudinea

5 species

1 species

• Hirudo medicinalis

7 species

2 species

17 species

• Fauna Europaea
• McIntosh, William Carmichael A monograph of the British marine annelids. London, The Ray society,1873/1900-1922/23.online
• Bellan, G. (2001) Polychaeta in Costello, M.J. (2001).European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels.
• P. J. Hayward and J. S. Ryland Eds., 1999 The Marine Fauna of the British Isles and North-West Europe Oxford University Press ISBN 9780198540557
• Howson, C.M. & Picton, B.E.(eds) 1997. The species directory of the marine fauna and flora of the British Isles and surrounding seas.Ulster Museum and The Marine Conservation Society, Belfast and Ross-on-Wye.
• Fauvel P., 1923. Polychètes errantes. Faune de France n° 5 488 p., 181 fig.PDF (25 Mo) (Identification)
• Fauvel P., 1927. Polychètes sédentaires. Faune de France n° 16 494 p., 152 fig.PDF (25 Mo) (Identification)
• World Register of Marine Species Searchable for Irish list

• Bernard E. Picton and Christine C. Morrow Encyclopedia of Marine Life of Britain and Ireland
• MarLIN Marine Life Information Network for Britain and Ireland.
• Roche C., Clarke S. & O’Connor B. (2005) Inventory of Irish marine wildlife publications. Irish Wildlife Manuals, No. 16. National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Dublin, Ireland.
• Marine species identification portal
• Barnich, R Scale worms in British and Irish waters