Aeolosomatidae

The Aeolosomatidae is a family of very small, aquatic annelid worms, the affinities of which are uncertain other than that they are related to Pomatodrilus. About 30 species have been described in three genera. These worms are known as suction-feeding worms and occupy freshwater habitats. Aeolosomatids feed on microalgae. They place their prostomia over the substrate and create a vacuum, swallowing small particles and their attached algae. They are hermaphrodites, but most reproduction takes place by fragmentation; the hindermost segments become detached from the parent worm and develop into new individuals.