Polychaeta
/ˌpɒlɪˈkiːtə
/plural noun Zoology
A class of marine annelid worms which comprises the bristle worms.These include some Foraminiferida, Hydrozoa and Scleractinia, Bryozoa, Brachiopoda, Pelecypoda, Polychaeta, and Cirripedia....
- In traditional classification schemes, the Annelida consists of the Polychaeta and the Clitellata (the latter including the Oligochaeta and Hirudinida).
- The phylum Annelida is traditionally divided into three classes: Oligochaeta, Hirudinida, and Polychaeta (marine annelids).
Origin
Modern Latin (plural), from Greek polu- 'many' + khaitē 'mane' (taken to mean 'bristle').