| Amphiporus lactifloreus | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Nemertea |
| Class: | Enopla |
| Order: | Hoplonemertea |
| Family: | Amphiporidae |
| Genus: | Amphiporus |
| Species: | A. lactifloreus |
| Binomial name | |
| Amphiporus lactifloreus (Johnston, 1828) [1] | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
| |
Amphiporus lactifloreus is a species of ribbon worm in the phylum Nemertea. It is found on the lower shore, under stones, in shingle and amongst the fronds of seaweed.
This worm is found round the coasts of north west Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, the Gulf of Maine and Cobscook Bay. It is common round the coasts of Britain and Ireland. [1]
Like other ribbon worms, A. lactifloreus is not divided into segments but is smooth and contractile. It is up to eight centimetres long with a head slightly broader than the body. The eyes are in four groups, two rows on either side of the front of the head and two more central clusters further back. There is a proboscis which can be extended forward from an opening above the mouth and which can be as long as the body and it is armed with a needle-like stylet. The neck is slightly constricted. The body is rounded above and flattened below and has a flattened tail with a rounded end. The general colour is whitish or pale pink and translucent. There are two small deeper pink patches at the back of the head. The gut can be seen as a thread-like, dark coloured, irregular line down the centre of the body. [3]
This worm is locally abundant on fairly clean sandy or gravelly sediments from just below the zone where Pelvetia canaliculata grows down to depths of 250 metres. It is also found amongst shell debris, on Laminaria , Fucus and Ascophyllum and, less commonly, in silty or muddy areas. It is fairly tolerant of fluctuating salinity. [4]
Movement is performed by small waves of muscular contraction that flow along the body from tail to head. Several waves may occur simultaneously and the worm glides forward slowly and smoothly, the swellings running evenly along the body. It is carnivorous, [3] either sucking the body juices of its prey or swallowing the whole animal. It feeds on protozoans, other small creatures and prey of a size up to its own. [2]
The sexes are distinct and fertilisation is external. Asexual reproduction also occurs by fragmentation. When handled, this worm easily breaks into pieces. [2]
Nemertea is a phylum of animals also known as ribbon worms or proboscis worms. Most ribbon worms are very slim, usually only a few millimeters wide, although a few have relatively short but wide bodies. Many have patterns of yellow, orange, red and green coloration. The foregut, stomach and intestine run a little below the midline of the body, the anus is at the tip of the tail, and the mouth is under the front. A little above the gut is the rhynchocoel, a cavity which mostly runs above the midline and ends a little short of the rear of the body. All species have a proboscis which lies in the rhynchocoel when inactive but everts to emerge just above the mouth to capture the animal's prey with venom. A highly extensible muscle in the back of the rhynchocoel pulls the proboscis in when an attack ends. A few species with stubby bodies filter feed and have suckers at the front and back ends, with which they attach to a host.
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The wide stingaree is a little-known species of stingray in the family Urolophidae, found off southwestern Australia. It typically occurs over sand in water 200–300 m (660–980 ft) deep around the edge of the continental shelf. This species has a broad diamond-shaped pectoral fin disc, a slightly pointed snout, and a tail with a leaf-like caudal fin, skin folds along either side, and no dorsal fins. Between its nostrils is a skirt-shaped curtain of skin. It is grayish green above, with faint bluish lines beside and behind the eyes. The maximum length on record is 52 cm (20 in).
The spotted stingaree is an uncommon species of stingray in the family Urolophidae, endemic to shallow waters along the coast of southern Australia. It favors rocky reefs and seagrass beds. This species can be readily identified by its nearly circular, dark-colored pectoral fin disc, adorned with a complex pattern of white or cream spots. Its eastern and western forms differ slightly in coloration and have been regarded as separate species. There is a skirt-shaped curtain of skin between its nostrils. Its tail is fairly thick and terminates in a short leaf-shaped caudal fin; a relatively large dorsal fin is present just in front of the stinging spine.
The lobed stingaree is a common species of stingray in the family Urolophidae, endemic to southern Western Australia in shallow, inshore sand and seagrass habitats. This species is plain sandy in color above and has a broad, rounded pectoral fin disc. It is characterized by an enlarged, semicircular skin lobe of unknown function on the inner rim of each nostril. Its tail is slender, with lateral skin folds and a lance-like caudal fin but no dorsal fin. The maximum recorded width is 27 cm (11 in).
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The blind electric ray is a little-known species of sleeper ray in the family Narkidae, endemic to New Zealand. It is found on the bottom, typically at a depth of 300–400 m (980–1,310 ft). Reaching 38 cm (15 in) in length, this species has a thin, nearly circular pectoral fin disc without visible eyes, and a short tail with a single dorsal fin. Its pelvic fins are divided in two, with the anterior portion forming a limb-like appendage; in males the claspers do not extend past the disc margin. A weak swimmer, the blind electric ray likely pushes itself along using its pelvic fins. It is known to feed on polychaete worms, and can defend itself with an electric shock. Reproduction is aplacental viviparous. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) does not have enough information to assess the conservation status of this species.
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Emplectonema neesii is a species of ribbon worm in the phylum Nemertea. It is found on the middle and lower regions of the shore, under stones and in shingle and is common round the coasts of Britain and Ireland.
Ogcocephalus radiatus or the polka-dot batfish is an arrow-shaped fish in the family Ogcocephalidae with an elongated thin tail. It is dorso-ventrally flattened with round pectoral fins that sit flat on the bottom of the sea floor. It uses its pectoral fins and pelvic fins to "walk" along the bottom in a side-to-side shuffling motion.
Tubulanus polymorphus is a species of ribbon worm in the phylum Nemertea. It is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and the northern Pacific Ocean. It occurs on the lower shore down to about 50 m (160 ft), on sand or gravel, under stones and among seaweed.
Tubulanus superbus, commonly known as the football jersey worm, is a species of ribbon worm in the phylum Nemertea. Found in the northern Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, it occurs from the lower shore down to about 80 m (260 ft), on sand or gravel.
Cerebratulus lacteus, the milky nemertean or milky ribbon worm, is a proboscis worm in the family Lineidae. This ribbon worm has a wide geographical range on both sides of the northern Atlantic Ocean.
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