Despite having being discovered relatively recently, the Siboglinidae family of polychaetes have a controversial taxonomic history. They are predominantly deep sea tubedwelling worms, often referred to simply as ‘tubeworms’ that include the magnificent metre-long Riftia pachyptila from hydrothermal vents, the recently discovered ‘bone-eating’ Osedax and a diverse range of other thin, tube-dwelling species. For a long time they were considered to be in a completely separate Phylum, the Pogonophora, but with the discovery of a segmented posterior and then conclusive DNA evidence, they were restored to the Phylum Annelida. In this project curation and research teams have combined to enhance the Museum’s collection. This has been facilitated through targeted donation requests, comprehensive digitisation, a location move to the rightful taxonomic place and teaming up with global database initiatives to promote the collection.
