Nereis

Nereis is a genus of polychaete worms in the family Nereididae. It comprises many species, most of which are marine. Nereis possess setae and parapodia for locomotion. They may have two types of setae, which are found on the parapodia. Acicular setae provide support. Locomotor chaetae are for crawling, and are the bristles that are visible on the exterior of the Polychaeta. They are cylindrical in shape, found not only in sandy areas, and they are adapted to burrow. They often cling to seagrass (posidonia) or other grass on rocks and sometimes gather in large groups. They are dangerous to touch giving very painful long lasting burns... In Maltese they are called BUSUF Nereis are osmoconformers. Nereids are dioecious and they release their haploid gametes into the water medium, a process called spawning. Moreover, upon fertilization and mitotic divisions of the zygote, Nereids form a larval stage which is similar to that of molluscs – i.e. a trochophore larva. The genus Nereis contains the following species: