Map of the Southern African coastline showing some of the landmarks referred to in species range statements

The list of polychaete worms of South Africa is a list of species that form a part of the class Polychaeta (Phylum Annelida) fauna of South Africa. The list follows the SANBI listing.

Polychaeta (/ˌpɒlɪˈktə/) is a paraphyletic class of generally marine annelid worms, commonly called bristle worms or polychaetes (/ˈpɒlɪˌkts/). Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia that bear many bristles, called chaetae, which are made of chitin. More than 10,000 species are described in this class. Common representatives include the lugworm (Arenicola marina) and the sandworm or clam worm Alitta.

Polychaetes as a class are robust and widespread, with species that live in the coldest ocean temperatures of the abyssal plain, to forms which tolerate the extremely high temperatures near hydrothermal vents. Polychaetes occur throughout the Earth's oceans at all depths, from forms that live as plankton near the surface, to a 2- to 3-cm specimen (still unclassified) observed by the robot ocean probe Nereus at the bottom of the Challenger Deep, the deepest known spot in the Earth's oceans. Only 168 species (less than 2% of all polychaetes) are known from fresh waters. (Full article...)

Amphinomida

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Order Amphinomida

Amphinomidae

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Family Amphinomidae

Euphrosinidae

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Family Euphrosinidae

Echiuroidea

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Order Echiuroidea

Echiuridae

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Family Echiuridae

Eunicida

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Order Eunicida

Dorvilleidae

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Family Dorvilleidae

Eunicidae

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Family Eunicidae

Lumbrineridae

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Family Lumbrineridae

Oenonidae

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Family Oenonidae

Onuphidae

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Family Onuphidae

Phyllodocida

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Order Phyllodocida

Acoetidae

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Family Acoetidae

Alciopidae

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Family Alciopidae

Aphroditidae

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Family Aphroditidae

Chrysopetalidae

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Family Chrysopetalidae

Eulepethidae

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Family Eulepethidae

Glyceridae

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Family Glyceridae

Goniadidae

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Family Goniadidae

Hesionidae

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Family Hesionidae

Iospilidae

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Family Iospilidae

Lopadorrhynchidae

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Family Lopadorrhynchidae

Nereididae

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Family Nereididae

Paralacydonidae

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Family Paralacydonidae

Pholoidae

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Family Pholoidae

Phyllodocidae

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Family Phyllodocidae

Pilargidae

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Family Pilargidae

Polynoidae

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Family Polynoidae

Pontodoridae

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Family Pontodoridae

Sigalionidae

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Family Sigalionidae

Sphaerodoridae

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Family Sphaerodoridae

Syllidae

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Family Syllidae

Tomopteridae

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Family Tomopteridae

Typhloscolecidae

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Family Typhloscolecidae

Nephtyidae

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Family Nephtyidae

Sabellida

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Order Sabellida

Fabriciidae

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Family Fabriciidae

Oweniidae

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Family Oweniidae

Sabellariidae

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Family Sabellariidae

Sabellidae

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Family Sabellidae

Serpulidae

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Family Serpulidae

Spionida

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Order Spionida

Chaetopteridae

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Family Chaetopteridae

Magelonidae

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Family Magelonidae

Spionidae

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Family Spionidae

Poecilochaetidae

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Family Poecilochaetidae

Terebellida

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Order Terebellida

Ampharetidae

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Family Ampharetidae

Cirratulidae

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Family Cirratulidae

Flabelligeridae

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Family Flabelligeridae

Pectinariidae

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Family Pectinariidae

Sternaspidae

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Family Sternaspidae

Terebellidae

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Family Terebellidae

Trichobranchidae

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Family Trichobranchidae

Scolecida

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Order Scolecida

Arenicolidae

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Family Arenicolidae

Capitellidae

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Family Capitellidae

Cossuridae

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Family Cossuridae

Maldanidae

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Family Maldanidae

Opheliidae

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Family Opheliidae

Orbiniidae

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Family Orbiniidae

Paraonidae

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Family Paraonidae

Scalibregmatidae

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Family Scalibregmatidae

Notes

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm cn co cp cq cr cs ct cu cv cw cx cy cz da db dc dd de df dg dh di dj dk dl dm dn do dp dq dr ds dt du dv dw dx dy dz ea eb ec ed ee ef eg eh ei ej ek el em en eo ep eq er es et eu ev ew ex ey ez fa fb fc fd fe ff fg fh fi fj fk fl fm fn fo fp fq fr fs ft fu fv fw fx fy fz ga gb gc gd ge gf gg gh gi gj gk gl "Checklist of South African Polychaeta. Animal checklist website". biodiversityadvisor.sanbi.org. South African National Biodiversity Institute. Retrieved 25 November 2020.