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'''Ice worms''' (also written as '''ice-worms''' or '''iceworms''', or also called '''glacial''' or '''glacier worms''') are [[enchytraeid]] [[annelids]] of the [[genus]] '''''Mesenchytraeus'''''. The majority of the [[species]] in the genus are abundant in gravel beds or the banks of [[river]]ine habitats,<ref name="shain">{{cite book| | '''Ice worms''' (also written as '''ice-worms''' or '''iceworms''', or also called '''glacial''' or '''glacier worms''') are [[enchytraeid]] [[annelids]] of the [[genus]] '''''Mesenchytraeus'''''. The majority of the [[species]] in the genus are abundant in gravel beds or the banks of [[river]]ine habitats,<ref name="shain">{{cite book|first1=Paula L. |last1=Hartzell |first2=Daniel H. |last2=Shain |editor =Daniel H. Shain|title =Annelids in Modern Biology|chapter =Glacier Ice Worms|publisher =Wiley-Blackwell|year =2009|page=305|isbn =9780470455197|chapter-url =https://books.google.com/books?id=9HTIa_JMS1UC&pg=PA305}}</ref><ref name="healy">{{cite journal |first1=Brenda |last1=Healy |first2=Steve |last2=Fend |year=2002|title=The occurrence of ''Mesenchytraeus'' (Enchytraeidae: Oligochaeta) in riffle habitats of north-west Subnautica below zero rivers, with description of a new species|journal=Journal of Natural History|volume=36|issue=1|pages=15–23|doi=10.1080/713833842|s2cid=84290342}}</ref> but the best-known members of the genus are found in [[glacier|glacial]] ice. They include the only annelid worms known to spend their entire lives in [[glacier|glacial]] ice,<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1002/1097-4687(200012)246:3<192::AID-JMOR3>3.0.CO;2-B|title=Morphologic characterization of the ice worm ''Mesenchytraeus solifugus''|year=2000|last1=Shain|first1=Daniel H.|last2=Carter|first2=Melissa R.|last3=Murray|first3=Kurt P.|last4=Maleski|first4=Karen A.|last5=Smith|first5=Nancy R.|last6=McBride|first6=Taresha R.|last7=Michalewicz|first7=Lisa A.|last8=Saidel|first8=William M.|journal=Journal of Morphology|volume=246|issue=3|pages=192–7|pmid=11077431 |s2cid=30143253 }}</ref> and some of the few [[metazoan]]s to complete their entire life cycle at conditions below {{convert|0|C|F}}.<ref name="farrell">{{cite journal|first1=A.H. |last1=Farrell |first2=K.A. |last2=Hohenstein |first3=D.H. |last3=Shain |year=2004|title=Molecular adaptation in the ice worm, ''Mesenchytraeus solifugus'': divergence of energetic-associated genes.|journal=Journal of Molecular Evolution|volume=59|issue=5|pages=666–673|doi= 10.1007/s00239-004-2658-z|pmid=15693622|bibcode=2004JMolE..59..666F|s2cid=22139929}}</ref> | ||
They were discovered in a wide range of environments, which include level snowfields, steep avalanche cones, crevasse walls, glacial rivers and pools, and hard glacier ice. These organisms are unique in that they can simply move between tightly packed ice crystals. They utilize setae, which are small bristles found on the outside of their bodies, to grip the ice and pull themselves along. | They were discovered in a wide range of environments, which include level snowfields, steep avalanche cones, crevasse walls, glacial rivers and pools, and hard glacier ice. These organisms are unique in that they can simply move between tightly packed ice crystals. They utilize setae, which are small bristles found on the outside of their bodies, to grip the ice and pull themselves along. | ||
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[[File:Ice Worm against Fingernail.jpg|thumb|Unknown species of ice worm]] | [[File:Ice Worm against Fingernail.jpg|thumb|Unknown species of ice worm]] | ||
The genus contains 77 [[species]], including the North American glacier ice worm (''[[Mesenchytraeus solifugus]]'') and the Yosemite snow worm (''[[Mesenchytraeus gelidus]]'').<ref name="schmelz">{{cite journal| | The genus contains 77 [[species]], including the North American glacier ice worm (''[[Mesenchytraeus solifugus]]'') and the Yosemite snow worm (''[[Mesenchytraeus gelidus]]'').<ref name="schmelz">{{cite journal|first1=Rüdiger M. |last1=Schmelz |first2=Rut |last2=Collado |year=2012|title=An updated checklist of currently accepted species of Enchytraeidae (Oligochaeta, Annelida)|journal=VTI Agriculture and Forestry Research |volume=357|pages=67–87|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275099637}}</ref><ref name="schmelz2">{{cite journal|first1=Rüdiger M. |last1=Schmelz |first2=Rut |last2=Collado |year=2015|title=Checklist of taxa of Enchytraeidae (Oligochaeta): an update|journal=Soil Organisms|volume=87|issue=2|pages=149–152|url=http://www.senckenberg.de/files/content/forschung/publikationen/soilorganisms/volume_87_2/7_87-2-08.pdf|access-date=2017-01-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220045625/http://www.senckenberg.de/files/content/forschung/publikationen/soilorganisms/volume_87_2/7_87-2-08.pdf|archive-date=2016-12-20|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="shen">{{cite journal|author1=Qi Shen|author2=Jing Chen|author3=Zhicai Xie|year=2012|title=''Mesenchytraeus monodiverticulus'' sp. nov. (Annelida: Cliterllata: Enchytraeidae) from Changbai Mountain, with a key to ''Mesenchytraeus'' with enlarged chaetae|journal=Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington|volume=125|issue=3|pages=215–227|doi=10.2988/12-08.1|s2cid=84234028}}</ref> | ||
Ice worms eat [[snow algae]] and bacteria.<ref name="nichols">{{cite web |title=Ice Worms (''Mesenchytraeus solifugus'') and Their Habitats on North Cascade Glaciers-North Cascade Glacier Climate Project |url=http://www.nichols.edu/departments/glacier/iceworm.htm |website=North Cascade Glacier Climate Project |access-date=17 July 2021 |date=November 6, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090209012557/http://www.nichols.edu/departments/glacier/iceworm.htm |archive-date=2009-02-09 }}</ref> The specimens researched by Scott Hotaling, researcher at [[Washington State University]], live at zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) and die if temperatures dip even slightly below that.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Greenfieldboyce |first1=Nell |title=It's Summer, And That Means The Mysterious Return Of Glacier Ice Worms |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/07/13/1011376403/its-summer-and-that-means-the-mysterious-return-of-glacier-ice-worms |access-date=17 July 2021 |work=NPR |date=July 13, 2021}}</ref> | Ice worms eat [[snow algae]] and bacteria.<ref name="nichols">{{cite web |title=Ice Worms (''Mesenchytraeus solifugus'') and Their Habitats on North Cascade Glaciers-North Cascade Glacier Climate Project |url=http://www.nichols.edu/departments/glacier/iceworm.htm |website=North Cascade Glacier Climate Project |access-date=17 July 2021 |date=November 6, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090209012557/http://www.nichols.edu/departments/glacier/iceworm.htm |archive-date=2009-02-09 }}</ref> The specimens researched by Scott Hotaling, researcher at [[Washington State University]], live at zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) and die if temperatures dip even slightly below that.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Greenfieldboyce |first1=Nell |title=It's Summer, And That Means The Mysterious Return Of Glacier Ice Worms |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/07/13/1011376403/its-summer-and-that-means-the-mysterious-return-of-glacier-ice-worms |access-date=17 July 2021 |work=NPR |date=July 13, 2021}}</ref> | ||
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{{Unreferenced section|date=December 2023}} | {{Unreferenced section|date=December 2023}} | ||
In North America, the first ice worms [[species]] were discovered in 1887 in [[Alaska]], on the [[Muir Glacier]]. These glacier ice worms can be found on glaciers in Alaska, [[Washington (state)|Washington]], [[Oregon]] and [[British Columbia]]. They have not been found in other glaciated regions of the world | In North America, the first ice worms [[species]] were discovered in 1887 in [[Alaska]], on the [[Muir Glacier]] . These glacier ice worms can be found on glaciers in Alaska, [[Washington (state)|Washington]], [[Oregon]] and [[British Columbia]]. They have not been found in other glaciated regions of the world <ref>{{Cite journal |last=Shain |first=Daniel H |last2=Mason |first2=Tarin A |last3=Farrell |first3=Angela H |last4=Michalewicz |first4=Lisa A |date=Oct 2001|title=Distribution and behavior of ice worms (Mesenchytraeus solifugus) in south-central Alaska |url=https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/abs/10.1139/z01-143 |journal=Canadian Journal of Zoology |volume=79 |issue=10 |pages=1813–1821 |doi=10.1139/z01-143 |issn=0008-4301}}</ref>. | ||
== Description == | == Description == | ||
{{Unreferenced section|date=December 2023}} | {{Unreferenced section|date=December 2023}} | ||
The specific name ''solifugus'' for the North American species, ''[[Mesenchytraeus solifugus]]'', is Latin for "sun-avoiding," as ice worms retreat underneath the ice before dawn. [[Enzymes]] in ice worms have very low optimal temperatures, and can be denatured at even a few degrees above {{convert|0|C|F}}. When ice worms are exposed to temperatures as modest as {{convert|5|C|F}}, their membrane structures disassociate and fall apart (i.e., "melt") causing the worm itself to "liquefy." Ice worms are several centimeters long, and can be black, blue, or white. They come to the surface of the glaciers in the evening and morning. On [[Suiattle Glacier]] in the [[North Cascades]], population counts indicated over 7 billion ice worms.{{ | The specific name ''solifugus'' for the North American species, ''[[Mesenchytraeus solifugus]]'', is Latin for "sun-avoiding," as ice worms retreat underneath the ice before dawn. [[Enzymes]] in ice worms have very low optimal temperatures, and can be denatured at even a few degrees above {{convert|0|C|F}}. When ice worms are exposed to temperatures as modest as {{convert|5|C|F}}, their membrane structures disassociate and fall apart (i.e., "melt") causing the worm itself to "liquefy." Ice worms are several centimeters long, and can be black, blue, or white. They come to the surface of the glaciers in the evening and morning. On [[Suiattle Glacier]] in the [[North Cascades]], population counts indicated over 7 billion ice worms.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ice Worms – North Cascade Glacier Climate Project |url=https://glaciers.nichols.edu/iceworm/ |access-date=2025-12-17 |website=glaciers.nichols.edu}}</ref> | ||
It is not known how ice worms tunnel through the ice. Some scientists believe they travel through microscopic fissures in ice sheets, while others believe they secrete some chemical which can melt ice by lowering its freezing point, like an [[antifreeze]]. They feed on [[snow algae]].<ref name="nichols"/> | It is not known how ice worms tunnel through the ice. Some scientists believe they travel through microscopic fissures in ice sheets, while others believe they secrete some chemical which can melt ice by lowering its freezing point, like an [[antifreeze]]. They feed on [[snow algae]].<ref name="nichols"/> | ||
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== Species == | == Species == | ||
The genus contains 77 [[species]]. They are the following:<ref name="schmelz"/><ref name="schmelz2"/><ref name="shen2012">{{cite journal| | The genus contains 77 [[species]]. They are the following:<ref name="schmelz"/><ref name="schmelz2"/><ref name="shen2012">{{cite journal|author1=Qi Shen|author2=Jing Chen|author3=Zhicai Xie|year=2012|title=''Mesenchytraeus monodiverticulus'' sp. nov. (Annelida: Clitellata: Enchytraeidae) from Changbai Mountain, with a key to ''Mesenchytraeus'' with enlarged chaetae|journal=Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington |volume=125|issue=3|pages=215–227|doi=10.2988/12-08.1|s2cid=84234028}}</ref> | ||
{{div col|colwidth=30em}} | {{div col|colwidth=30em}} | ||
Latest revision as of 17:47, 17 December 2025
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "For". Script error: No such module "For". Template:Automatic taxobox
Ice worms (also written as ice-worms or iceworms, or also called glacial or glacier worms) are enchytraeid annelids of the genus Mesenchytraeus. The majority of the species in the genus are abundant in gravel beds or the banks of riverine habitats,[1][2] but the best-known members of the genus are found in glacial ice. They include the only annelid worms known to spend their entire lives in glacial ice,[3] and some of the few metazoans to complete their entire life cycle at conditions below Script error: No such module "convert"..[4]
They were discovered in a wide range of environments, which include level snowfields, steep avalanche cones, crevasse walls, glacial rivers and pools, and hard glacier ice. These organisms are unique in that they can simply move between tightly packed ice crystals. They utilize setae, which are small bristles found on the outside of their bodies, to grip the ice and pull themselves along.
The genus contains 77 species, including the North American glacier ice worm (Mesenchytraeus solifugus) and the Yosemite snow worm (Mesenchytraeus gelidus).[5][6][7]
Ice worms eat snow algae and bacteria.[8] The specimens researched by Scott Hotaling, researcher at Washington State University, live at zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) and die if temperatures dip even slightly below that.[9]
History
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In North America, the first ice worms species were discovered in 1887 in Alaska, on the Muir Glacier . These glacier ice worms can be found on glaciers in Alaska, Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. They have not been found in other glaciated regions of the world [10].
Description
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The specific name solifugus for the North American species, Mesenchytraeus solifugus, is Latin for "sun-avoiding," as ice worms retreat underneath the ice before dawn. Enzymes in ice worms have very low optimal temperatures, and can be denatured at even a few degrees above Script error: No such module "convert".. When ice worms are exposed to temperatures as modest as Script error: No such module "convert"., their membrane structures disassociate and fall apart (i.e., "melt") causing the worm itself to "liquefy." Ice worms are several centimeters long, and can be black, blue, or white. They come to the surface of the glaciers in the evening and morning. On Suiattle Glacier in the North Cascades, population counts indicated over 7 billion ice worms.[11]
It is not known how ice worms tunnel through the ice. Some scientists believe they travel through microscopic fissures in ice sheets, while others believe they secrete some chemical which can melt ice by lowering its freezing point, like an antifreeze. They feed on snow algae.[8]
Species
The genus contains 77 species. They are the following:[5][6][12]
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- Mesenchytraeus affinis Michaelsen, 1901
- Mesenchytraeus altus Welch, 1917
- Mesenchytraeus americanus Bell, 1942
- Mesenchytraeus anisodiverticulus Shen, Chen & Xie, 2012
- Mesenchytraeus antaeus Rota & Brinkhurst, 2000
- Mesenchytraeus arcticus Bell, 1962
- Mesenchytraeus argentatus Nurminen, 1973b
- Mesenchytraeus armatus (Levinsen, 1884)
- Mesenchytraeus armatus armatus (Levinsen, 1884)
- Mesenchytraeus armatus kananaskis Dash, 1970
- Mesenchytraeus asiaticus Eisen, 1904
- Mesenchytraeus atriaphorus Altman, 1936
- Mesenchytraeus beringensis Eisen, 1904
- Mesenchytraeus beumeri (Michaelsen, 1886b)
- Mesenchytraeus bungei Michaelsen, 1901
- Mesenchytraeus cejkai Cernosvitov, 1937d
- Mesenchytraeus celticus Southern, 1909
- Mesenchytraeus chaunus Piper, MacLean & Christensen, 1982
- Mesenchytraeus chromophorus Altman, 1936
- Mesenchytraeus crenobius Timm, 1994
- Mesenchytraeus diplobulbosus Bell, 1949
- Mesenchytraeus diverticulatus Piper, MacLean & Christensen, 1982
- Mesenchytraeus eastwoodi Eisen, 1904
- Mesenchytraeus eltoni Stephenson, 1925
- Mesenchytraeus falciformis Eisen, 1878
- Mesenchytraeus flavidus Michaelsen, 1887
- Mesenchytraeus flavus (Levinsen, 1884)
- Mesenchytraeus fontinalis Eisen, 1904
- Mesenchytraeus fontinalis fontinalis Eisen, 1904
- Mesenchytraeus fontinalis gracilis Eisen, 1904
- Mesenchytraeus franciscanus Eisen, 1904
- Mesenchytraeus fuscus Eisen, 1904
- Mesenchytraeus fuscus fuscus Eisen, 1904
- Mesenchytraeus fuscus inermis Eisen, 1904
- Mesenchytraeus gaudens Cognetti, 1903a
- Mesenchytraeus gelidus Welch, 1916
- Mesenchytraeus gigachaetus Xie, 2012
- Mesenchytraeus glandulosus (Levinsen, 1884)
- Mesenchytraeus grandis Eisen, 1904
- Mesenchytraeus grebnitzkyi Michaelsen, 1901
- Mesenchytraeus groenlandicus Nielsen & Christensen, 1959
- Mesenchytraeus hamiltoni Healy, 1996b
- Mesenchytraeus harrimani Eisen, 1904
- Mesenchytraeus hydrius Welch, 1919a
- Mesenchytraeus johanseni Welch, 1919b
- Mesenchytraeus kincaidi Eisen, 1904
- Mesenchytraeus kontrimavichusi Piper, MacLean & Christensen, 1982
- Mesenchytraeus konyamensis Michaelsen, 1916
- Mesenchytraeus kuehnelti Dózsa-Farkas, 1991a
- Mesenchytraeus kuril Healy & Timm, 2000
- Mesenchytraeus lusitanicus Collado, Martínez-Ansemil, and Giani, 1993
- Mesenchytraeus macnabi Bell, 1942
- Mesenchytraeus maculatus Eisen, 1904
- Mesenchytraeus magnus Altman, 1936
- Mesenchytraeus melanocephalus Christensen & Dózsa-Farkas, 1999
- Mesenchytraeus minimus Altman, 1936
- Mesenchytraeus mirabilis Eisen, 1878
- Mesenchytraeus monochaetus Bretscher, 1900
- Mesenchytraeus monodiverticulus Shen, Chen & Xie, 2012
- Mesenchytraeus monothecatus Bell, 1945
- Mesenchytraeus multispinus (Grube, 1851)
- Mesenchytraeus nanus Eisen, 1904
- Mesenchytraeus obscurus Eisen, 1904
- Mesenchytraeus ogloblini Černosvitov, 1928b
- Mesenchytraeus orcae Eisen, 1904
- Mesenchytraeus pedatus Eisen, 1904
- Mesenchytraeus pelicensis Issel, 1905c
- Mesenchytraeus penicillus Eisen, 1904
- Mesenchytraeus primaevus Eisen, 1878
- Mesenchytraeus rhithralis Healy & Fend, 2002
- Mesenchytraeus sanguineus Nielsen & Christensen, 1959
- Mesenchytraeus setchelli Eisen, 1904
- Mesenchytraeus solifugus (Emery, 1898)
- Mesenchytraeus solifugus solifugus (Emery, 1898)
- Mesenchytraeus solifugus rainierensis Welch, 1916
- Mesenchytraeus straminicolus Rota, 1995
- Mesenchytraeus sveni Christensen & Dózsa-Farkas, 1999
- Mesenchytraeus svetae Piper, MacLean & Christensen, 1982
- Mesenchytraeus tetrapodus Timm, 1978
- Mesenchytraeus torbeni Christensen & Dózsa-Farkas, 1999
- Mesenchytraeus tundrus Piper, MacLean & Christensen, 1982
- Mesenchytraeus unalaskae Eisen, 1904
- Mesenchytraeus variabilis Cejka, 1914
- Mesenchytraeus vegae Eisen, 1904
- Mesenchytraeus viivi Timm, 1978
- Mesenchytraeus vshivkovae Timm, 1994
Mesenchytraeus franzi is a junior synonym of Cognettia clarae.[5] Mesenchytraeus megachaetae Shen, Chen & Xie, 2011 has been renamed Mesenchytraeus gigachaetus Xie, 2012 due to the previous name being preoccupied by Mesenchytraeus megachaetae Bretscher, 1901, a junior synonym of Mesenchytraeus armatus.[6][13]
References
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