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The Sipuncula or Sipunculida is a group containing about 162 species of bilaterally symmetrical, unsegmented marine worms. The name Sipuncula is from the genus name Sipunculus, and comes from the Latin siphunculus meaning a "small tube". Sipuncula seems to be closely related to Myzostomida, and Annelida.
Squat lobsters are dorsoventrally flattened crustaceans with long tails held curled beneath the cephalothorax. They are found in the two superfamilies Galatheoidea and Chirostyloidea, which form part of the decapod infraorder Anomura, alongside groups including the hermit crabs and mole crabs. They are distributed worldwide in the oceans, and occur from near the surface to deep sea hydrothermal vents, with one species occupying caves above sea level. More than 900 species have been described, in around 60 genera. Some species form dense aggregations, either on the sea floor or in the water column, and a small number are commercially fished.
Bioturbation is defined as the reworking of soils and sediments by animals or plants. These include burrowing, ingestion, and defecation of sediment grains. Bioturbating activities have a profound effect on the environment and are thought to be a primary driver of biodiversity. The formal study of bioturbation began in the 1800s by Charles Darwin experimenting in his garden. The disruption of aquatic sediments and terrestrial soils through bioturbating activities provides significant ecosystem services. These include the alteration of nutrients in aquatic sediment and overlying water, shelter to other species in the form of burrows in terrestrial and water ecosystems, and soil production on land.
The acorn worms or Enteropneusta are a hemichordate class of invertebrates consisting of one order of the same name. Their closest relatives are the echinoderms. There are 111 known species of acorn worm in the world, the main species for research being Saccoglossus kowalevskii. Two families—Harrimaniidae and Ptychoderidae—separated at least 370 million years ago.
Axiidea is an infraorder of decapod crustaceans. They are colloquially known as mud shrimp, ghost shrimp, or burrowing shrimp; however, these decapods are only distantly related to true shrimp. Axiidea and Gebiidea are divergent infraoders of the former infraorder Thalassinidea. These infraorders have converged ecologically and morphologically as burrowing forms. It is now widely believed that these two infraorders represent two distinct lineages separate from one another; however, this separation occurred in 2009 based on molecular evidence. As a result, much of the literature and research surrounding these infraorders still refers to the Axiidea and Gebiidea in combination as "thalassinidean" for the sake of clarity and reference. This division based on molecular evidence is consistent with the groupings proposed by Robert Gurney in 1938 based on larval developmental stages.
Cumacea is an order of small marine crustaceans of the superorder Peracarida, occasionally called hooded shrimp or comma shrimp. Their unique appearance and uniform body plan makes them easy to distinguish from other crustaceans. They live in soft-bottoms such as mud and sand, mostly in the marine environment. There are more than 1,500 species of cumaceans formally described. The species diversity of Cumacea increases with depth.
Trace fossils are classified in various ways for different purposes. Traces can be classified taxonomically, ethologically, and toponomically, that is, according to their relationship to the surrounding sedimentary layers. Except in the rare cases where the original maker of a trace fossil can be identified with confidence, phylogenetic classification of trace fossils is an unreasonable proposition.
Zoophycos is a somewhat cosmopolitan ichnogenus thought to be produced by moving and feeding polychaete worms.
Amblyeleotris steinitzi, Steinitz' prawn goby or simply Steinitz' goby, is a species of small fish in the family Gobiidae. It lives in association with an alpheid shrimp and is found from the Red Sea through the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific Ocean.
Gilvossius tyrrhenus is a species of thalassinidean crustacean which grows to a length of 70 mm (2.8 in). It lives in burrows in shallow sandy parts of the sea-bed in the Mediterranean Sea and northern Atlantic Ocean. It is the most common thalassinidean in the Mediterranean, and has been used as bait by fishermen for at least 200 years.
Goneplax rhomboides is a species of crab. It is known by the common name angular crab because of its angular carapace. Although it is also called the square crab, its shell is in fact more trapezoidal than square. This species is also known as the mud-runner because they are able to run away quickly when threatened.
Neotrypaea californiensis, the Bay ghost shrimp, is a species of ghost shrimp that lives on the Pacific coast of North America. It is a pale animal which grows to a length of 11.5 cm (4.5 in). One claw is bigger than the other, especially in males, and the enlarged claw is thought to have a function in mating. N. californiensis is a deposit feeder that lives in extensive burrow systems, and is responsible for high rates of bioturbation. It adversely affects oyster farms, and its numbers are controlled in some places by the application of pesticides. It carries out an important role in the ecosystem, and is used by fishermen as bait.
Lepidophthalmus turneranus, the Cameroon ghost shrimp, is a species of "ghost shrimp" or "mud lobster" that lives off the coast of West Africa. It occasionally erupts into dense swarms, one of which resulted in the naming of the country Cameroon.
Shallow water marine environment refers to the area between the shore and deeper water, such as a reef wall or a shelf break. This environment is characterized by oceanic, geological and biological conditions, as described below. The water in this environment is shallow and clear, allowing the formation of different sedimentary structures, carbonate rocks, coral reefs, and allowing certain organisms to survive and become fossils.
Echinocardium cordatum, or the sea potato, is a sea urchin in the family Loveniidae. It is found in sub-tidal regions in the NE Atlantic. Other un-named species have been identified as this species from temperate seas around the world. It lives buried in the sandy sea floor.
Cyzicidae is a family of crustaceans in the order Spinicaudata. They are distinguished from the family Leptestheriidae by the absence of a rostral spine. Some members of Cyzicidae are known to burrow through mud, leading to speculation that they may be filter feeders, but Martin reports that their mouthparts are indistinguishable from Leptestheriidae, which are believed to be grazers.
Squilla empusa is a species of mantis shrimp found in coastal areas of the western Atlantic Ocean. It excavates and occupies a burrow in soft sediment from which it emerges, mainly at night, to feed on fish and invertebrate prey.
Clausidium dissimile is a species of copepod that has been found along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts from Massachusetts to Florida. They are found on the bodies of mud shrimp of the family Callianassidae, or from water collected from mud shrimp burrows.
Solecurtus strigilatus, also known as the rosy razor clam, is a species of saltwater clam, a marine bivalve mollusc in the family Solecurtidae. This mollusc is a suspension feeder and can burrow with great rapidity to escape predators. It is an unusual bivalve in that its shell valves are too small to contain all the soft tissue, and the animal is unable to retreat into its shell.
Maxmuelleria lankesteri is a species of spoon worm in the family Bonelliidae. It is found in the North Atlantic Ocean. It burrows into soft sediment on the seabed, mostly in deep water.
References
- 1 2 3 4 J. M. Hill (2005). "Callianassa subterranea. A burrowing mud shrimp". Marine Life Information Network. Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme. Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. Archived from the original on October 28, 2007. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
- 1 2 3 4 "Major constituent species". UK Marine SACs Project. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
- ↑ E. J. Stamhuis, B. Dauwe & J. J. Videler (1998). "How to bite the dust: morphology, motion pattern and function of the feeding appendages of the deposit-feeding thalassinid shrimp Callianassa subterranea" (PDF). Marine Biology . 132 (1): 43–58. doi:10.1007/s002270050370.
- ↑ Rebecca L. Howe, Andrew P. Rees & Stephen Widdicombe (2004). "The impact of two species of bioturbating shrimp (Callianassa subterranea and Upogebia deltaura) on sediment denitrification". Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom . 84 (3): 629–632. doi:10.1017/S002531540400966Xh.
- ↑ L. A. Nickell, R. J. A. Atkinson & E. H. Pinn (1998). "Morphology of thalassinidean (Crustacea: Decapoda) mouthparts and pereiopods in relation to feeding, ecology and grooming". Journal of Natural History . 32 (5): 733–761. doi:10.1080/00222939800770381.
- ↑ "Community ecology: interactions between species". UK Marine SACs Project. Retrieved January 24, 2009.