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Description
The few species of armor worms are living fossils. Their armor plates consisting of a chitine-like substance originally evolved as a protection from the vermivores. After a mass extinction the vermivores have not survived, a side branch reduced the plates, covered them with skin, developed a swimming frill and started to live in the open water; all tetragnathes originated from them.

Armor worms live a life not very different from sea cucumbers. They dig through the marine sediments using their four rows of plates for locomotion and feed on detritus and the small flora and fauna living in it.

Description
The few species of armor worms are living fossils. Their armor plates consisting of a chitine-like substance originally evolved as a protection from the vermivores. After a mass extinction the vermivores have not survived, a side branch reduced the plates, covered them with skin, developed a swimming frill and started to live in the open water; all tetragnathes originated from them.

Armor worms live a life not very different from sea cucumbers. They dig through the marine sediments using their four rows of plates for locomotion and feed on detritus and the small flora and fauna living in it.