ONUPHIDAE KINBERG, 1865

Quillworms (Hyalinoecia) and the Australian beachworms (Australonuphis) are among the better known Onuphidae; the former with highly characteristic tubes (Pl. 6f) and the latter for their size (up to several metres) and occurrence on sandy beaches and their importance as bait in fisheries. Overall, Onuphidae vary in size from a few millimetres to several metres, although sizes around a few centimetres are common. The anteriormost part is often cylindrical and widest, becoming medially and posteriorly more flattened. Many of these animals are tubicolous. Some (e.g. Australonuphis) have a thin and ephemeral tube. In others the tube is tough and may be highly characteristic, such as in Hyalinoecia, which construct a cylindrical, translucent, and quill-like tube (Pl. 6f), or in Nothria conchylega where it is distinctly flattened with an inner lining of parchment and large pieces of shells on the outside (Pl. 6h). Live specimens are iridescent and may have characteristic red or brown pigmentation patterns, often as transverse segmental bands; others are unpigmented (Pl. 6f–h).