Worm: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Spaghetti Worm Loimia medusa.jpg|thumb|White tentacles of ''[[Eupolymnia crasscornis]]'', a spaghetti worm]] |
[[File:Spaghetti Worm Loimia medusa.jpg|thumb|White tentacles of ''[[Eupolymnia crasscornis]]'', a spaghetti worm]] |
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'''Worms''' are many different distantly related animals that typically have a long cylindrical tube-like body, no [[limb (anatomy)|limb]]s, and no [[Eyes|eyes]]. Worms vary in size from microscopic to over {{convert|1|m|ft}} in length for marine polychaete worms (bristle worms),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cornwall/content/articles/2009/04/07/nature_worm_feature.shtml |title=Cornwall – Nature – Superstar Worm |publisher=BBC |date=7 April 2009 }}</ref> {{convert|6.7|m|ft|}} for the African giant earthworm, ''[[Microchaetus rappi]]'',<ref>{{cite web |title=Worm Digest - The Mighty Worm |url=http://www.wormdigest.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=102&Itemid=2 | |
'''Worms''' are many different distantly related animals that typically have a long cylindrical tube-like body, no [[limb (anatomy)|limb]]s, and no [[Eyes|eyes]]. Worms vary in size from microscopic to over {{convert|1|m|ft}} in length for marine polychaete worms (bristle worms),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cornwall/content/articles/2009/04/07/nature_worm_feature.shtml |title=Cornwall – Nature – Superstar Worm |publisher=BBC |date=7 April 2009 }}</ref> {{convert|6.7|m|ft|}} for the African giant earthworm, ''[[Microchaetus rappi]]'',<ref>{{cite web |title=Worm Digest - The Mighty Worm |url=http://www.wormdigest.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=102&Itemid=2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219141951/http://www.wormdigest.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=102&Itemid=2 |archive-date=19 February 2009 |date=2 October 2005 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and {{convert|58|m|ft|}} for the marine nemertean worm (bootlace worm), ''[[Lineus longissimus]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Carwardine |first1=Mark |title=The Guinness book of animal records |date=1995 |publisher=Guinness Publishing |location=Enfield |isbn=978-0851126586 |page=232}}</ref> Various types of worm occupy a small variety of [[parasitism|parasitic]] niches, living inside the bodies of other animals. Free-living worm species do not live on land, but instead, live in marine or freshwater environments, or underground by burrowing. |
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In biology, "worm" refers to an obsolete [[taxon]], ''[[vermes]]'', used by [[Carl Linnaeus|Carolus Linnaeus]] and [[Jean-Baptiste Lamarck]] for all non-[[arthropod]] [[invertebrate]] [[animal]]s, now seen to be [[paraphyletic]]. The name stems from the [[Old English]] word ''[[wikt:wyrm|wyrm]]''. Most animals called "worms" are [[invertebrate]]s, but the term is also used for the [[amphibian]] [[caecilian]]s and the [[anguis fragilis|slowworm]] ''[[Anguis]]'', a legless burrowing [[lizard]]. Invertebrate animals commonly called "worms" include [[annelid]]s ([[earthworm]]s and marine [[polychaete]] or bristle worms), [[nematode]]s ([[nematode|roundworm]]s), [[platyhelminthes]] ([[flatworm]]s), marine [[nemertea]]n worms ("[[lineus longissimus|bootlace worm]]s"), marine [[Chaetognatha]] ([[arrow worm]]s), [[Priapulida|priapulid worms]], and [[insect]] [[larva]]e such as grubs and [[maggot]]s. |
In biology, "worm" refers to an obsolete [[taxon]], ''[[vermes]]'', used by [[Carl Linnaeus|Carolus Linnaeus]] and [[Jean-Baptiste Lamarck]] for all non-[[arthropod]] [[invertebrate]] [[animal]]s, now seen to be [[paraphyletic]]. The name stems from the [[Old English]] word ''[[wikt:wyrm|wyrm]]''. Most animals called "worms" are [[invertebrate]]s, but the term is also used for the [[amphibian]] [[caecilian]]s and the [[anguis fragilis|slowworm]] ''[[Anguis]]'', a legless burrowing [[lizard]]. Invertebrate animals commonly called "worms" include [[annelid]]s ([[earthworm]]s and marine [[polychaete]] or bristle worms), [[nematode]]s ([[nematode|roundworm]]s), [[platyhelminthes]] ([[flatworm]]s), marine [[nemertea]]n worms ("[[lineus longissimus|bootlace worm]]s"), marine [[Chaetognatha]] ([[arrow worm]]s), [[Priapulida|priapulid worms]], and [[insect]] [[larva]]e such as grubs and [[maggot]]s. |
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[[File:Pseudoceros_dimidiatus.jpg|thumb|''[[Pseudoceros dimidiatus]]'', a flatworm]] |
[[File:Pseudoceros_dimidiatus.jpg|thumb|''[[Pseudoceros dimidiatus]]'', a flatworm]] |
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In taxonomy, "worm" refers to an obsolete grouping, ''[[Vermes]]'', used by [[Carl Linnaeus]] and [[Jean-Baptiste Lamarck]] for all non-[[arthropod]] [[invertebrate]] [[animal]]s, now seen to be [[polyphyletic]]. In 1758, Linnaeus created the first [[hierarchical classification]] in his ''[[Systema Naturae]]''.<ref name=Linn1758>{{cite book |last=Linnaeus |first=Carl | |
In taxonomy, "worm" refers to an obsolete grouping, ''[[Vermes]]'', used by [[Carl Linnaeus]] and [[Jean-Baptiste Lamarck]] for all non-[[arthropod]] [[invertebrate]] [[animal]]s, now seen to be [[polyphyletic]]. In 1758, Linnaeus created the first [[hierarchical classification]] in his ''[[Systema Naturae]]''.<ref name=Linn1758>{{cite book |last=Linnaeus |first=Carl |author-link=Carl Linnaeus |title=Systema naturae per regna tria naturae: secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. |edition=[[10th edition of Systema Naturae |10th]] |publisher=Holmiae (Laurentii Salvii) |year=1758 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/542 |access-date=22 September 2008 |language=la |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010032456/http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/542 |archive-date=10 October 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> In his original scheme, the animals were one of three kingdoms, divided into the classes of [[Vermes in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae|Vermes]], [[Insecta in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae|Insecta]], [[Pisces in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae|Pisces]], [[Amphibia in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae|Amphibia]], [[Aves in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae|Aves]], and [[Mammalia in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae|Mammalia]]. Since then the last four have all been subsumed into a single phylum, the [[chordate|Chordata]], while his Insecta (which included the crustaceans and arachnids) and Vermes have been renamed or broken up. The process was begun in 1793 by Lamarck, who called the Vermes ''une espèce de chaos'' (a sort of chaos){{efn|The prefix ''une espèce de'' is pejorative.<ref>{{cite web |title=Espèce de |url=http://dictionnaire.reverso.net/francais-anglais/esp%C3%A8ce%20de%20cr%C3%A9tin |publisher=Reverso Dictionnaire |access-date=1 March 2018}}</ref>}} and split the group into three new phyla, worms, echinoderms, and polyps (which contained corals and jellyfish). By 1809, in his ''[[Philosophie Zoologique]]'', Lamarck had created 9 phyla apart from vertebrates (where he still had 4 phyla: mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish) and molluscs, namely [[cirripede]]s, annelids, crustaceans, arachnids, insects, worms, [[Radiata|radiates]], polyps, and [[infusoria]]ns.<ref name=Gould2011>{{cite book |last=Gould |first=Stephen Jay |author-link=Stephen Jay Gould |title=The Lying Stones of Marrakech |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wApMpVmi-5gC&pg=PA130 |year=2011 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-06167-5 |pages=130–134}}</ref> [[Chordates]] are remarkably wormlike by ancestry.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Brown|first=Federico D.|last2=Prendergast|first2=Andrew|last3=Swalla|first3=Billie J.|date=2008|title=Man is but a worm: Chordate origins|journal=Genesis|language=en|volume=46|issue=11|pages=605–613|doi=10.1002/dvg.20471|pmid=19003926}}</ref> |
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== Informal grouping == |
== Informal grouping == |
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Revision as of 12:19, 18 December 2020
Worms are many different distantly related animals that typically have a long cylindrical tube-like body, no limbs, and no eyes. Worms vary in size from microscopic to over 1 metre (3.3 ft) in length for marine polychaete worms (bristle worms),[1] 6.7 metres (22 ft) for the African giant earthworm, Microchaetus rappi,[2] and 58 metres (190 ft) for the marine nemertean worm (bootlace worm), Lineus longissimus.[3] Various types of worm occupy a small variety of parasitic niches, living inside the bodies of other animals. Free-living worm species do not live on land, but instead, live in marine or freshwater environments, or underground by burrowing. In biology, "worm" refers to an obsolete taxon, vermes, used by Carolus Linnaeus and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck for all non-arthropod invertebrate animals, now seen to be paraphyletic. The name stems from the Old English word wyrm. Most animals called "worms" are invertebrates, but the term is also used for the amphibian caecilians and the slowworm Anguis, a legless burrowing lizard. Invertebrate animals commonly called "worms" include annelids (earthworms and marine polychaete or bristle worms), nematodes (roundworms), platyhelminthes (flatworms), marine nemertean worms ("bootlace worms"), marine Chaetognatha (arrow worms), priapulid worms, and insect larvae such as grubs and maggots.
Worms may also be called helminths, particularly in medical terminology when referring to parasitic worms, especially the Nematoda (roundworms) and Cestoda (tapeworms) which reside in the intestines of their host. When an animal or human is said to "have worms", it means that it is infested with parasitic worms, typically roundworms or tapeworms. Lungworm is also a common parasitic worm found in various animal species such as fish and cats.
History
In taxonomy, "worm" refers to an obsolete grouping, Vermes, used by Carl Linnaeus and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck for all non-arthropod invertebrate animals, now seen to be polyphyletic. In 1758, Linnaeus created the first hierarchical classification in his Systema Naturae.[4] In his original scheme, the animals were one of three kingdoms, divided into the classes of Vermes, Insecta, Pisces, Amphibia, Aves, and Mammalia. Since then the last four have all been subsumed into a single phylum, the Chordata, while his Insecta (which included the crustaceans and arachnids) and Vermes have been renamed or broken up. The process was begun in 1793 by Lamarck, who called the Vermes une espèce de chaos (a sort of chaos)[a] and split the group into three new phyla, worms, echinoderms, and polyps (which contained corals and jellyfish). By 1809, in his Philosophie Zoologique, Lamarck had created 9 phyla apart from vertebrates (where he still had 4 phyla: mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish) and molluscs, namely cirripedes, annelids, crustaceans, arachnids, insects, worms, radiates, polyps, and infusorians.[6] Chordates are remarkably wormlike by ancestry.[7]
Informal grouping
In the 13th century, worms were recognized in Europe as part of the category of reptiles that consisted of a miscellany of egg-laying creatures, including "snakes, various fantastic monsters, lizards, assorted amphibians," as recorded by Vincent of Beauvais in his Mirror of Nature.[8] In everyday language, the term worm is also applied to various other living forms such as larvae, insects, millipedes, centipedes, shipworms (teredo worms), or even some vertebrates (creatures with a backbone) such as blindworms and caecilians. Worms can be divided into several groups, but are still technically decomposers.
- The first of these, Platyhelminthes, includes the flatworms, tapeworms, and flukes. They have a flat, ribbon- or leaf-shaped body with a pair of eyes at the front. Some are parasites.
- The second group contains the threadworms, roundworms, and hookworms. This phylum is called Nematoda. Threadworms may be microscopic, such as the vinegar eelworm, or more than 1 metre (3 feet) long. They are found in damp earth, moss, decaying substances, fresh water, or salt water. Some roundworms are also parasites. The Guinea worm, for example, gets under the skin of the feet and legs of people living in tropical countries.
- The third group consists of the segmented worms, with bodies divided into segments, or rings. This phylum is called Annelida. Among these are the earthworms and the bristle worms of the sea.
Familiar worms include the earthworms, members of phylum Annelida. Other invertebrate groups may be called worms, especially colloquially. In particular, many unrelated insect larvae are called "worms", such as the railroad worm, woodworm, glowworm, bloodworm, inchworm, mealworm, silkworm, and woolly bear worm.
Worms may also be called helminths, particularly in medical terminology when referring to parasitic worms, especially the Nematoda (roundworms) and Cestoda (tapeworms). Hence "helminthology" is the study of parasitic worms. When a human or an animal, such as a dog or horse, is said to "have worms", it means that it is infested with parasitic worms, typically roundworms or tapeworms. Deworming is a method to kill off the worms that have infected a human or animal by giving anthelmintic drugs.
"Ringworm" is not a worm at all, but a skin fungus.
Society and culture
Wurm, or wyrm was the Old English term for carnivorous reptiles ("serpents"), and mythical dragons. Worm has been used as a pejorative epithet to describe a cowardly, weak or pitiable person. Worms can also be farmed for the production of nutrient-rich vermicompost.
See also
- Sea worm, lists various types of marine worms
- Worm cast
- Worm charming
Notes
References
- ^ "Cornwall – Nature – Superstar Worm". BBC. 7 April 2009.
- ^ "Worm Digest - The Mighty Worm". 2 October 2005. Archived from the original on 19 February 2009.
- ^ Carwardine, Mark (1995). The Guinness book of animal records. Enfield: Guinness Publishing. p. 232. ISBN 978-0851126586.
- ^ Linnaeus, Carl (1758). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae: secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin) (10th ed.). Holmiae (Laurentii Salvii). Archived from the original on 10 October 2008. Retrieved 22 September 2008.
- ^ "Espèce de". Reverso Dictionnaire. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
- ^ Gould, Stephen Jay (2011). The Lying Stones of Marrakech. Harvard University Press. pp. 130–134. ISBN 978-0-674-06167-5.
- ^ Brown, Federico D.; Prendergast, Andrew; Swalla, Billie J. (2008). "Man is but a worm: Chordate origins". Genesis. 46 (11): 605–613. doi:10.1002/dvg.20471. PMID 19003926.
- ^ Franklin-Brown, Mary (2012). Reading the world: encyclopedic writing in the scholastic age. Chicago London: The University of Chicago Press. p. 223;377. ISBN 9780226260709.
