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Science 30 July 2004:
Vol. 305. no. 5684, pp. 668 - 671
DOI: 10.1126/science.1098650
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Reports

Osedax: Bone-Eating Marine Worms with Dwarf Males

G. W. Rouse,1,2* S. K. Goffredi,3* R. C. Vrijenhoek3{dagger}

We describe a new genus, Osedax, and two new species of annelids with females that consume the bones of dead whales via ramifying roots. Molecular and morphological evidence revealed that Osedax belongs to the Siboglinidae, which includes pogonophoran and vestimentiferan worms from deep-sea vents, seeps, and anoxic basins. Osedax has skewed sex ratios with numerous dwarf (paedomorphic) males that live in the tubes of females. DNA sequences reveal that the two Osedax species diverged about 42 million years ago and currently maintain large populations ranging from 105 to 106 adult females.

1 South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000, Australia.
2 Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide SA 5005, Australia.
3 Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), 7700 Sandholdt Road, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA.



* These authors contributed equally to the work.

{dagger} To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: vrijen{at}mbari.org

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