Glossary
Below is a list of terms used in these pages. This glossary is taken from Day 1967. A monograph on the Polychaeta of Southern Africa.
- Abdomen
- The region of the body posterior to the thorax and sometimes followed by a caudal region or tail.
- achaetous
- without setae
- acicular setae
- a very stout projecting seta homologous with other setae but similar in thickness to an internal aciculum
- aciculum, acicula, aciculae
- a stout internal chitinous rod which supports one of the two lobes of a parapodium
- anal cirrus
- projection from the pygidium or terminal segment on which the anus opens
- antenna
- a sensory projection arising from the anterior or dorsal surface of the prostomium
- apodous segment
- a segment without a foot or parapodium
- arborescent
- branching like a tree
- aristate seta
- a stout seta with a smooth shaft and a tuft of fine hairs at the end
- biarticulate
- two-jointed
- bidentate (seta)
- with two teeth
- bifurcate (seta)
- ending in two prongs
- bilabiate
- with two lips
- bilimbate
- a pointed seta with wings or flattened margins on both sides, like a feather
- bipinnate
- a structure such as a feather with a main axis and two rows of side branches
- biramous
- having notopodia and neuropodia
- biramous parapodium
- a foot or parapodium with two bundles of setae, one in the notopodium and one in the neuropodium
- branchia
- a gill, usually a outgrowth from the body which pocesses elements of the blood system
- buccal
- pertaining to the mouth
- calicinate
- like the calyx of a flower
- canaliculate
- with fine canals
- capillary
- hair-like
- capillary seta
- strictly a hair-like bristle but often used to cover all long slender tapering setae
- caruncle
- a sensory lobe extending behind the prostomium
- ceratostyle
- the distal joint of an antenna
- ceratophore
- the basal joint of an antenna
- cirriform
- shaped like a cirrus
- cirrigerous
- a segment bearing a cirrus
- cirrophore
- a basal projection on which a cirrus is mounted
- cirrostyle
- the distal part of a cirrus
- cirrus
- a sensory projection (usually tapered) derived from the superior part of the notopodium (dorsal cirrus) or the inferior part of the neuropodium (ventral cirrus)
- clavate
- club-shaped
- compound seta
- a jointed seta
- compressed
- flattened in the lateral plane
- cordate or cordiform
- heart-shaped
- crenulate (seta)
- with a series of small cusps
- crotchet
- a long-shafted seta with a hooked or curved end
- ctenidium(a)
- a branchia or respiratory organ
- cultriform
- shaped like a knife
- deciduous
- liable to fall of like a leaf
- dentate
- toothed
- dentate-crested hooks
- setae with the apex of the shaft toothed
- denticle
- a structure like a minute tooth
- denticulate
- with minute teeth or denticles
- depressed
- flattened in the dorso-ventral plane
- detritus
- particles of organic origin on the sea bed
- digitiform
- finger-shaped
- distal
- the part of a structure towards the end
- dorsum
- the dorsal surface of the body
- echinulate
- prickly like a sea-urchin
- eversible (proboscis)
- capable of being extended by turning the inner part outwards
- falciform
- hook-shaped
- falciger
- seta having a stout, hooked blade or apex
- filamentous
- shaped like a filament or fine thread
- filiform
- thread-like, very slender
- flanged (seta)
- an elongate seta with a flattened edge or margin
- foliaceous
- leaf-like
- fusiform
- spindle-shaped or cigar-shaped
- geniculate
- bent like a knee
- genital papilla
- projection below the neuropodium on which a reproductive duct opens
- glabrous
- smooth and glistening
- harpoon seta
- a stout pointed seta with recurved barbs near the apex
- hastate
- shaped like the blade of a spear
- heterogomph
- a compound seta with a slanting or asymmetrical joint between shaft and blade
- hispid
- minutely furry
- homogomph
- a compound seta with transverse or symmetrical joint between shaft
- hooded hook
- a stout, blunt or apically toothed seta with the apex protected by a delicate chitinous envelope or guard
- hook
- a broad term used to cover a wide range of simple setae which have stout shafts and blunt or toothed apices
- imbricating
- overlapping like tiles
- inferior
- the more ventral of two structures
- intermediate cirrus
- a cirriform projection between the notopodium and the neuropodium
- intersegmental
- between segments
- lamella
- a flattened or plate-like structure
- lanceolate
- pointed and shaped like a lance
- ligule
- a compressed conical lobe of a parapodium
- limbate (seta)
- a seta with a flattened margin to the blade
- lobe
- projection from parapodium
- mammiliform
- shaped like a breast
- medial
- on the side nearer the median or mid-line of the body
- median
- in the mid-line
- membraneous
- thin and flattened like a membrane
- moniliform
- like a string of beads
- neuropodium
- the lower or ventral part of a parapodium
- neurosetae
- a seta arising from the neuropodium
- notopodium
- the upper or dorsal part of a biramous parapodium
- notoseta
- a seta arising from the notopodium
- nuchal organ
- a sensory organ on the prostomium or extending back from it usually in the form of a groove or ciliated ridge
- occipital
- pertaining to the posterior part of the prostomium
- occipital antennae
- antennae on the posterior part of the prostomium
- ovoid
- egg-shaped
- palea
- a broad flattened type of seta
- palmate
- like the fronds of a palm
- palps or palpi
- paired projections growing out from the sides of the head. In errant polychaetes they arise from the ventral surface of the prostomium and have a gustatory function but in sedentary polychaetes they arise from the peristome and are usually grooved and ad
- palpode
- a tapering anterior projection of the prostomium
- palpophore
- the basal parts of a jointed palp
- paragnaths
- horny or chitinous granules in the pharyngeal cavity of the Nereidae which help to grip the prey
- parapodium
- segmental, projections bearing setae
- pectinate
- with a series of projections arranged like the teeth of a comb
- penicillate
- like a little paint brush
- peristomium
- the segment behind the prostomium, which is modified to form part of the head and surrounds the mouth. Only the first segment forms the true peristomium but in the families Nereidae, Hesionidae and others the possession of more than two pairs of tentacles shows that two or more segments have fused
- pharynx
- the posterior part of the mouth cavity leading on to the oesophagus
- pilose
- velvety; covered with very short hairs
- pinnate
- feather-like; with a main axis and lateral branches
- pinnules
- a series of side branches of some feather-shaped organ
- piriform
- with a broad bulbous base and tapered tip; onion-shaped
- postsetal
- posterior to the setae
- presetal
- anterior to the setae
- proboscis
- the anterior part of the alimentary canal derived from the stomadaeum which can be everted to project forwards
- prostomium
- the anterior lobe in front of the mouth bearing eyes and antennae
- proximal
- part of a structure nearer to the base or main body; cf. distal
- pygidial
- pertaining to the anal segment or pygidium
- pygidium
- the anal segment or terminal part of the body
- ramose
- branched
- ramus
- a branch or prong; the notopodium and neuropodium which form the two parts of a parapodium are often termed the two rami
- reniform
- kidney-shaped
- rhomboidal
- irregularly four-sided
- rugose
- rough or lumpy
- sabre seta
- a seta with a broad curved blade
- secondary tooth
- the second of two teeth, the first being the apical or terminal one
- segmental organ
- organs occurring in segmental arrangement. In the Alciopidae they are swellings (often pigmented) at the bases of the parapodia
- sessile
- without a stalk
- setal
- pertaining to setae of bristles
- setiger
- a segment with setae
- setigerous lobe
- that projection or part of the notopodium or neuropodium which bears the setae
- simple seta
- an unjointed seta
- spindle-shaped
- elipsoid; cigar-shaped with pointed ends
- spiniger (seta)
- a compound seta whose blade tapers to a fine point
- spinule
- a small spine
- spinulose
- provided with spinules
- spirally serrulate
- a seta whose blade is encircled with spirally arranged serrations
- striated
- very fine parallel marks or lines - striae
- stylet
- a small pointed, tooth-like structure
- stylode
- a botanical term here used to mean a finger-like projection usually on a parapodium
- sub-biramous
- a parapodium which is neither completely uniramous nor biramous
- subequal
- approximately equal
- subspiral
- approximately spiral
- subterminal
- almost at the end
- subtriangular
- approximately triangular
- superior
- the more dorsal of two structures
- tentacle
- a slender outgrowth from the head
- tentacular cirrus
- a cirrus arising from the peristome which is elongated to act as a tactile organ
- tentaculophore
- a basal projection on which a tentacle is mounted
- tessellated
- a surface with a network of grooves like a tiled wall
- thorax
- the anterior region of the body
- tori of parapodia
- ridges from which the setae arise
- truncate
- with the end cut-off; not tapering
- uniramous
- with a single lobe or prong where two might be expected; the opposite of biramous. (Uniramous parapodia lack one of the two setigerous lobes)
- ventrum
- the ventral surface of the body
- winged capillary seta
- a simple, unjointed seta whose blade has an axial rib but the margins are flattened and tapering
Back to the help menu.