Aeolosoma hemprichi

Aeolosoma hemprichi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Annelida
Clade: Pleistoannelida
Clade: Sedentaria
Family: Aeolosomatidae
Genus: Aeolosoma
Species:
A. hemprichi
Binomial name
Aeolosoma hemprichi
Ehrenberg, 1828

Aeolosoma hemprichi is an aquatic annelid and the smallest known species of the family Aeolosomatidae.[1][2] It is found in freshwater environments in various parts of the world.

Morphology

Aeolosoma hemprichi reaches a maximum length of 1.5 − 2mm.[3] It has a large round prostomium with a ciliated ventral surface. It is covered in bristles (chaetae) which aid in locomotion. A. hemprichi is mostly transparent but has reddish brown spots; these are due to the presence of oil droplets in the epidermis.[4]

The mouth is located on the side of the body.[4] The mouth and esophagus are ciliated. There are two nuchal organs between the prostomium and peristomium. A. hemprichi also has epidermal sensory cells and ciliary sense organs.[5]

Ecology

Aeolosoma hemprichi is found mainly in limnetic freshwater ecosystems. It is a detritus feeder which ingests soil particles and feeds on the attached microbial films.[4] It has been observed using its body to compact detritus into pellets, which it then consumes.[6] A. hemprichi has also been observed preying upon rotifers and diplostracans.[6]

Reproduction

Aeolosoma hemprichi is hermaphroditic, though it does not appear to produce eggs and sperm simultaneously. It more often reproduces asexually by budding. The young annelids grow from the posterior portion of a parent; this may occur so rapidly that chains consisting of multiple generations are formed.[7]

Description

Aeolosoma hemprichi was first described in 1828 by the German biologist Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg in his Symbolae physicae, a joint project with the German naturalist Wilhelm Friedrich Hemprich.[8]

Scientific and commercial interest

Aeolosoma hemprichi has been studied for its potential in bioremdiation due to its ability to consume biological sludge produced in wastewater treatment.[9]

A. hemprichi has 2n = 60 chromosomes, around twice as many as the proposed 32-36 chromosomes of ancestral annelids; this suggests that tetraploidy (chromosomal duplication) may have occurred at some point in the speciation history of the organism.[3]

Video of Aeolosoma hemprichi ingesting soil particles

References

  1. ↑ "Aeolosoma hemprichi Ehrenberg". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  2. ↑ Marescalchi, Ombretta; Gugnali, Andrea; Falconi, Rosanna (2008). "First Report on the Chromosomes of Aeolosoma viride and Aeolosoma hemprichi (Aeolosomatidae; Annelida)". Zoological Science. 25 (9): 904–906. doi:10.2108/zsj.25.904. ISSN 0289-0003. PMID 19267599. S2CID 46294461.
  3. 1 2 Marescalchi; Gugnali; Falconi, Rosanna (1 September 2008). "First Report on the Chromosomes of Aeolosoma viride and Aeolosoma hemprichi (Aeolosomatidae; Annelida)". Zoological Science. 25 (9): 904–906. doi:10.2108/zsj.25.904. PMID 19267599 – via BioOne Digital Library.
  4. 1 2 3 "Aeolosoma Hemprichi Ingestion of Soil Particles and Digestion of Microbial Films". Aeolosoma Hemprichi Ingestion of Soil Particles and Digestion of Microbial Films. Retrieved 2026-07-01.
  5. ↑ Hessling, R.; Purschke, Günter (2000-10-01). "Immunohistochemical (cLSM) and ultrastructural analysis of the central nervous system and sense organs in Aeolosoma hemprichi (Annelida, Aeolosomatidae)". Zoomorphology. 120 (2): 65–78. doi:10.1007/s004350000022. ISSN 1432-234X.
  6. 1 2 Alvarado-Flores, Jesus; Sánchez Ávila, Alejandra S.; Pérez-Yañez, Daniela; Silva-Briano, Marcelo; Rico-Martínez, Roberto (2022-09-21). "Rotifers attacked by Aeolosoma hemprichi Ehrenberg, 1831: observations of feeding behavior". Rotifer News. 37: 3–14.
  7. ↑ Nelson, Jas A. (1906). "A Note on the Occurrence of Sex Organs in Aelosoma". The Ohio Naturalist. 6 (3): 435–438 – via Semantic Scholar.
  8. ↑ Pyle, Richard. "Aeolosoma hemprichii Ehrenberg, 1828 sensu Ehrenberg 1828". ZooBank. International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature.
  9. ↑ Song, Biyu; Chen, Xiaofei (2009-02-01). "Effect of Aeolosoma hemprichi on excess activated sludge reduction". Journal of Hazardous Materials. 162 (1): 300–304. Bibcode:2009JHzM..162..300S. doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2008.05.035. ISSN 1873-3336. PMID 18573597.