Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 6, 2026

Nephtyidae

Nephtyidae is a family of polychaete worms. They are commonly referred to as catworms.

Last revised
Jul 6, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
178 w
Citations
5
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Wikipedia ↗
Nephtyidae
Nephtys hombergii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Annelida
Clade: Pleistoannelida
Subclass: Errantia
Order: Phyllodocida
Family: Nephtyidae
Genera

Nephtyidae is a family of polychaete worms.1 They are commonly referred to as catworms.2

Characteristics

Nephtyidae are pale, clearly segmented polychaetes with a small pentagonal prostomium with two pairs of small antennae. Their segments are little differentiated and have a rectangular cross-section.3
Nephtyids are active predators, with a strong muscular proboscis, armed with two well developed jaws.4

They can dig relatively fast through sandy sediments. They can also swim with sinuous movements.5

Nepthyidae polychaetes, found off the Palmer Peninsula, Antarctica, 1962. source ↗
References

References

  1. "Nephtyidae | NBN Atlas". species.nbnatlas.org. Retrieved 2019-07-02.
  2. "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Nephtyidae Grube, 1850". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2019-07-02.
  3. Jirkov, Igor A.; Dnestrovskaya, Nataliya Yu; Alalykina, Inna L. (2017-11-07). "Identification key to Nephtyidae (Annelida) of the Sea of Okhotsk". ZooKeys (684): 1–18. doi:10.3897/zookeys.684.12180. ISSN 1313-2970. PMC 5523181. PMID 28769731.
  4. "Nephtyidae". www.annelida.net. Retrieved 2019-07-02.
  5. "MarLIN - The Marine Life Information Network - A catworm (Nephtys hombergii)". www.marlin.ac.uk. Retrieved 2019-07-02.