| Nephasoma rimicola | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Sipuncula |
| Class: | Sipunculidea |
| Order: | Golfingiida |
| Family: | Golfingiidae |
| Genus: | Nephasoma |
| Species: | N. rimicola |
| Binomial name | |
| Nephasoma rimicola (Gibbs, 1973) [1] | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Nephasoma rimicola is a marine invertebrate belonging to the phylum Sipuncula, the peanut worms. This worm occurs in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean.
Nephasoma rimicola grows to a maximum length of about 6 cm (2.4 in). Like all peanut worms it has a cylindrical trunk and a narrower, retractable anterior section known as the introvert. The mouth is at the end of the introvert which can be extended to feed or retracted into the body at other times. In this species the trunk is about three times as long as it is wide with the introvert being a similar length. The introvert is retracted by a single, ventral pair of retractor muscles. Near its tip, the introvert has many hook-like spines arranged in six to ten rings, and the mouth is surrounded by well-formed tentacles; there are eight of these in juveniles but more develop as the worm grows, with sixteen being present in most adults and twenty in the largest individuals. The rings of hooked spines and the well-developed tentacles help to distinguish this species from the usually much smaller Nephasoma minutum which occupies similar habitats. [2] [3]
Nephasoma rimicola occurs in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. It has been found in northern Spain and in several shallow water locations around the British Isles, including west of the Isle of Wight, the estuary of the River Exe in north Devon and Milford Haven in south Pembrokeshire where it inhabits crevices in the rock. [2] It also occurs off the coast of southern Spain in deeper water, between 350 and 720 m (1,150 and 2,360 ft). [4]
Peanut worms are detritivores. The introvert is extended along the surface of the substrate and organic particles are gathered by the oral tentacles and moved to the mouth when the introvert is drawn in. The gut is long and J-shaped, with the anus on the dorsal surface of the front end of the trunk. The introvert is normally kept retracted except when the worm is feeding. [5]
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.
The Echiura, or spoon worms, are a small group of marine animals. Once treated as a separate phylum, they are now considered to belong to Annelida. Annelids typically have their bodies divided into segments, but echiurans have secondarily lost their segmentation. The majority of echiurans live in burrows in soft sediment in shallow water, but some live in rock crevices or under boulders, and there are also deep sea forms. More than 230 species have been described. Spoon worms are cylindrical, soft-bodied animals usually possessing a non-retractable proboscis which can be rolled into a scoop-shape to feed. In some species the proboscis is ribbon-like, longer than the trunk and may have a forked tip. Spoon worms vary in size from less than a centimetre in length to more than a metre.
Priapulida, sometimes referred to as penis worms, is a phylum of unsegmented marine worms. The name of the phylum relates to the Greek god of fertility, because their general shape and their extensible spiny introvert (eversible) proboscis may recall the shape of a human penis. They live in the mud and in comparatively shallow waters up to 90 metres (300 ft) deep. Some species show a remarkable tolerance for hydrogen sulfide and anoxia. They can be quite abundant in some areas. In an Alaskan bay as many as 85 adult individuals of Priapulus caudatus per square meter has been recorded, while the density of its larvae can be as high as 58,000 per square meter.
Golfingia vulgaris is a marine invertebrate belonging to the phylum Sipuncula, the peanut worms. It is a cylindrical, unsegmented worm with a crown of tentacles around the mouth. It lives in burrows in shallow seas in various parts of the world.
Sipunculus nudus is a cosmopolitan species of unsegmented marine worm of the phylum Sipuncula, also known as peanut worms.
Phascolopsis gouldii is a species of unsegmented benthic marine worm, also known as a peanut worm or star worm. It lives in burrows in muddy sand in shallow waters off North America.
Sclerodactyla briareus, commonly known as the hairy sea cucumber, is a species of marine invertebrate in the family Sclerodactylidae. It is found in shallow waters in the western Atlantic Ocean.
Onchnesoma is one of the two genera that constitute the family Phascolionidae of Phylum Sipuncula, described by Koren and Danielssen established in 1873 as the type species to Onchnesoma steenstrupii.
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.
Prostheceraeus vittatus, the candy striped flatworm, is a species of marine polyclad flatworm in the family Euryleptidae. It is found in Western Europe, including on the western coasts of the British Isles.
Nephasoma minutum is a marine invertebrate of the phylum Sipuncula, commonly known as peanut worms because of their shape when contracted. It is a cylindrical, unsegmented worm with a crown of tentacles around the mouth. These worms live in crevices in the rocks or in burrows in shallow water in Western Europe, and the eastern United States.
Priapulus caudatus is a marine invertebrate belonging to the phylum Priapulida, the penis worms. It is a cylindrical, unsegmented worm which burrows in soft sediment on the seabed. It has a circumpolar distribution.
Phascolosoma granulatum is a species of peanut worm in the family Phascolosomatidae. It is found in shallow water in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
Aspidosiphon elegans is a species of unsegmented benthic marine worm in the phylum Sipuncula, the peanut worms. It is a bioeroding species and burrows into limestone rocks, stones and corals. It occurs in the western Indo-Pacific region, the Red Sea, and the tropical western Atlantic Ocean, and is invasive in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
Aspidosiphon muelleri is a species of unsegmented benthic marine worm in the phylum Sipuncula, the peanut worms. This worm is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and in various locations in the Indo-Pacific region at depths down to about 1,000 m (3,300 ft).
Echiurus echiurus is a species of spoon worm in the family Echiuridae. It is found in the North Atlantic Ocean and a subspecies is found in Alaska. It burrows into soft sediment and under boulders and stones in muddy places.
Themiste cymodoceae is a species of unsegmented benthic marine worm in the phylum Sipuncula, the peanut worms. It is native to shallow waters around Australia and in the South China Sea where it lives in a cavity it creates among seagrass roots and in empty oyster shells.
Themiste hennahi is a species of unsegmented benthic marine worm in the phylum Sipuncula, the peanut worms. It is native to shallow waters on the Pacific coast of North and South America. This worm was first described in 1828 by the British zoologist John Edward Gray as Themiste hennahi, the type specimen having been collected by the Rev. W. Hennah, with the type locality being Peru.
Themiste pyroides is a species of unsegmented benthic marine worm in the phylum Sipuncula, the peanut worms. It occurs in the intertidal zone and shallow water in the western Atlantic Ocean and the northeastern Pacific Ocean. It lives in crevices and under rocks, extending its "crown" of branching tentacles into the surrounding water to feed.
Thysanocardia procera is a marine invertebrate belonging to the phylum Sipuncula, the peanut worms. It is a cylindrical, unsegmented worm with a crown of tentacles around the mouth. It is native to shallow seas in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean.