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Nerillidae
Natural History
Nerillids are minute polychaetes which are largely restricted to interstitial spaces. They are recorded most frequently in intertidal habitats but have been recorded from the sediments of subterranean waters also. Nerillidae apparently browse diatoms and bacteria from sediment particles, but little is known of their biology or ecology.
Diversity
About 40 species of Nerillidae are known globally, and the present classification includes 15 genera. Systematic studies of interstitial faunas are scarce in Australia so it is no wonder that Nerilla australis, from salt marshes in Western Port in Victoria, is the only described Australian species. A second species, apparently undescribed, has been collected from a cave on Christmas Island (R.Wilson unpublished observation).
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