Home | Overview | Key to families | Browse families

Overview
About Polychaetes
Worms that are not polychaetes
Classification
Invalid polychaete families
Study methods
Using interactive keys
Quick guides
References
Acknowledgements
Errata

Classification

The following classification of polychaete families is that adopted in the Fauna of Australia Volume 4, which in turn is modified after Rouse & Fauchald (1997). Taxa above family are not given ranks. *Families marked with an asterisk are not currently recorded from Australia.

Scolecida

Arenicolidae ; Capitellidae ; Cossuridae ; Maldanidae ; Opheliidae ; Orbiniidae ; Paraonidae ; Questidae ; Scalibregmatidae

Palpata

Aciculata
Eunicida
Dorvilleidae ; Eunicidae ; Hartmaniellidae *; Lumbrineridae ; Oenonidae ; Onuphidae

Eunicida incertae cedis
Diurodrilidae ; Histriobdellidae

Amphinomida
Amphinomidae ; Euphrosinidae

Phyllodocida
Acoetidae ; Alciopidae ; Aphroditidae ; Chrysopetalidae ; Eulepethidae ; Glyceridae ; Goniadidae ; Hesionidae ; Ichthyotomidae *; Iospilidae ; Lacydoniidae ; Lopadorhynchidae ; Nautiliniellidae *; Nephtyidae ; Nereididae ; Paralacydoniidae ; Pholoidae ; Phyllodocidae ; Pilargidae ; Pisionidae ; Polynoidae ; Pontodoridae *; Sigalionidae ; Sphaerodoridae ; Syllidae ; Tomopteridae ; Typhloscolecidae

Aciculata incertae cedis
Aberrantidae *; Nerillidae ; Spintheridae

Canalipalpata
Sabellida
Oweniidae ; Sabellariidae ; Sabellidae ; Serpulidae Siboglinidae

Spionida
Apistobranchidae ; Chaetopteridae ; Longosomatidae *; Magelonidae ; Poecilochaetidae ; Spionidae ; Trochochaetidae *; Uncispionidae *

Terebellida
Acrocirridae ; Alvinellidae *; Ampharetidae ; Cirratulidae ; Ctenodrilidae ; Fauveliopsidae ; Flabelligeridae ; Pectinariidae ; Poeobiidae *; Sternaspidae ; Terebellidae ; Trichobranchidae

Canalipalpata incertae cedis
Polygordiidae *; Protodrilidae ; Protodriloididae *; Saccocirridae

POLYCHAETA incertae cedis
Aeolosomatidae ; Dinophilidae ; Parergodrilidae ; Potamodrilidae *; Psammodrilidae *