Cirratulidae sp. (unidentified)
A soft-bodied polychaete buried in the Seagrass Meadow sediment that extends dozens of thread-thin cirri across the substrate surface to collect organic particles and absorb oxygen -- family Cirratulidae, genus unresolved among Cirratulus, Cirriformia, and Timarete.
Hair Worm is a placeholder node for an unidentified cirratulid polychaete observed in miniBIOTA's Seagrass Meadow -- a soft-bodied worm that extends numerous long, hair-thin cirri across the sediment surface to collect organic particles and exchange oxygen. The database records three candidate genera (Cirratulus, Cirriformia, and possibly Timarete), none confirmed to species. No introduction date, population count, or observation file is on record.
Family Cirratulidae is cosmopolitan in soft-sediment marine and estuarine habitats worldwide. In Florida, cirratulid polychaetes are common members of seagrass bed and estuarine infaunal communities, living buried in sandy and muddy substrate with their cirri extending across the sediment surface. Cirratulus and Cirriformia are the dominant cirratulid genera in US Atlantic and Gulf estuaries; Timarete is more common in Pacific settings but has been recorded in Gulf habitats.
Cirratulid polychaetes live partially or fully buried in soft sediment, typically in sandy to muddy substrate with organic enrichment. The body is buried in the substrate while long, thread-like cirri (which function simultaneously as gills and food-collection organs) extend outward across the sediment surface. In miniBIOTA's Seagrass Meadow, this species would be expected in the soft sandy substrate and among the rhizome mats of the seagrass bed.
Cirratulid polychaetes are deposit feeders and surface collectors. The cirri extending across the sediment surface collect fine organic particles, bacteria, and detritus. Food is transported along the cirri to the mouth by ciliary action. Some species also ingest bulk sediment, digesting the organic fraction and passing mineral grains. This feeding mode complements Trumpet Worm (id 31) and Southern Lugworm (id 100) in the benthic infaunal deposit-feeding guild.
Cirratulids reproduce sexually via broadcast spawning; some species also reproduce asexually through fragmentation of the body. No reproductive observations have been made in miniBIOTA.
Marine to estuarine, tolerating a range of salinities and low-oxygen conditions common in soft sediment environments. Specific tolerance ranges for miniBIOTA conditions have not been measured.
Hair Worm is a deposit feeder and sediment bioturbator in the Seagrass Meadow, occupying a similar ecological niche to Trumpet Worm (id 31) and Southern Lugworm (id 100). Its cirri extend across the sediment surface in a fine network of organic-particle collectors, functioning as both a feeding structure and a gas exchange surface. Dense cirratulid populations can visibly carpet sediment surfaces with their extended cirri, a phenomenon common in organically rich estuarine sediment.
No introduction date, source, or method is on record. Cirratulid polychaetes are common hitchhikers in sandy substrate, live rock, and seagrass rhizome material. Arrival with an early saltwater introduction is the most probable pathway.
No observation files found.
No observation or introduction record. Presence documented only by the database node. Current status unknown.
Deposit feeder and surface collector; cirri collect fine organic particles and bacteria across the sediment surface. Ecological function overlaps with Trumpet Worm (id 31) and Southern Lugworm (id 100) in the benthic deposit-feeding guild. No feeding observed in miniBIOTA.
Marine to estuarine polychaete tolerating a range of salinities and low-oxygen sediment conditions common in soft organic-rich substrate. Specific tolerance ranges for miniBIOTA conditions not measured.
No reproductive observations in miniBIOTA.
Deposit feeder and sediment bioturbator contributing to organic matter processing in the Seagrass Meadow substrate. Ecological niche overlaps with Trumpet Worm (id 31) and Southern Lugworm (id 100); complements the benthic infaunal deposit-feeding guild.
Follow this species across the habitats where it currently appears in the miniBIOTA biosphere.
