| dc.description.abstract | The family Nereididae is one of the most diverse polychaete families with more than 50 genera described (43 considered valid) with approximately 770 valid species (Read & Glasby 2017). Many species are abundant in easily accessible intertidal habitats and are known to anglers and harvesters as bait, to aquaculturists and in aquaculture as a valuable feed supplement, and to physiologists and other biologists as ideal subjects for laboratory study. The biochemistry, physiology and reproductive biology of common species is thus well-studied (e.g. Schroeder & Hermans 1975, Zeeck et al. 1988, Hardege 1999). In contrast, the few studies of nereidid phylogeny are limited in taxonomic coverage and leave many taxa unresolved, thus the current generic classification represents an artificial convenience rather than natural relationships. The family's position within Phyllodocida is unclear, with recent authors having proposed that the Nereididae may be most closely related to either Hesionidae or Syllidae (see Phylogenetic relationships with other annelids, below). Previous classifications of the family have been based on character distribution and similarities among taxa without using specific analytical methods. Nereidids are diverse and range in size from a few millimetres in Micronereis Claparède, 1863 (Paxton 1983) to two metres in Paraleonnates uschakovi Khlebovich & Wu, 1962 (Hong et al. 2012). Although nereidids are most common and species rich in shallow marine habitats, they occur in a wide range of environments, from the deep sea to estuaries, freshwater streams and even temporary rainwater puddles in moist terrestrial environments (Wilson 2000). A diverse range of feeding strategies are represented, as well as a wide variety of reproductive strategies (Wilson 1991, Pagliosa 2005, Jumars et al. 2015). | nb_NO |
