Phascolopsis gouldii

Last updated

Contents

Phascolopsis gouldii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Order:
Family:
Genus:
Species:
P. gouldii
Binomial name
Phascolopsis gouldii
Pourtalés, 1851
Synonyms
  • Golfingia gouldii
  • Phascolopsis gouldi
  • Phascolosoma gouldii
  • Phascolosomum gouldii
  • Sipunculus gouldii [1]

Phascolopsis gouldii is a species of unsegmented benthic marine worm, also known as a peanut worm or star worm. [2] It lives in burrows in muddy sand in shallow waters off North America.

Description

Phascolopsis gouldii can reach thirty centimetres long and is a smooth slender cylindrical shape. The body is pinkish and divided into an anterior introvert and a posterior trunk. The introvert is about one quarter of the length of the body and can be retracted inside it by turning outside in. This is done by the contraction of two pairs of large introvert retractor muscles which extend from the body wall of the trunk to near the mouth which is at the tip of the introvert in the centre of the oral disc. This is surrounded by a ring of short tentacles that are used for feeding and in gas exchange. They are pink inside due to the presence of the pigment hemerythrin used in oxygen transport. The anus is on a small mound where the trunk and introvert join. The trunk is covered by a thick integument and is largely composed of bands of longitudinal muscles which can be seen through the cuticle. The anterior part of the trunk, into which the introvert retracts, is broader than the posterior part. [2]

Distribution

This peanut worm is found in shallow coastal waters on the eastern seaboard of the United States from Connecticut to Florida, [2] and Canada. [3] Particular locations where it has been found include Cobscook Bay, the Gulf of Maine, Minister's Island, Indian Point, Newfoundland and the St Lawrence estuary. [1]

Biology

Phascolopsis gouldii burrows in muddy sand. It can pull itself under the surface by pushing its introvert down and then retracting it. It is a deposit and filter feeder, collecting detritus with its tentacles for insertion into its mouth or for consumption after retraction of the introvert. It is able to feed with its introvert while its soft trunk remains in the safety of the burrow. [4] It is dioecious but the sexes are similar. They release eggs and sperm simultaneously into the water and external fertilisation takes place. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sipuncula</span> Phylum of invertebrates, peanut worms

The Sipuncula or Sipunculida is a class containing about 162 species of unsegmented marine annelid worms. Sipuncula was once considered a phylum, but was demoted to a class of Annelida, based on recent molecular work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Echiura</span> Group of marine animals ("spoon worms")

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.

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.

<i>Sipunculus nudus</i>

Sipunculus nudus is a cosmopolitan species of unsegmented marine worm of the phylum Sipuncula, also known as peanut worms.

Abarenicola pacifica or the Pacific lugworm is a large species of polychaete worm found on the west coast of North America and also in Japan. The worms live out of sight in burrows under the sand and produce casts which are visible on the surface.

<i>Lagis koreni</i> Species of annelid worm

Lagis koreni, commonly known as the trumpet worm, is a species of marine polychaete worm found in European waters. It lives within a narrow conical tube made of grains of sand and shell fragments.

Phoronis psammophila is a species of marine horseshoe worm in the phylum Phoronida. It lives in a tube projecting from the sea floor in shallow seas around the world.

<i>Sclerodactyla briareus</i> Species of sea cucumber

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.

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.

Nephasoma rimicola is a marine invertebrate belonging to the phylum Sipuncula, the peanut worms. This worm occurs in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean.

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.

<i>Ochetostoma erythrogrammon</i> Species of annelid worm

Ochetostoma erythrogrammon is a species of spoon worm in the family Thalassematidae. It is found in shallow water in the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Indian and Pacific Oceans, burrowing in soft sediment.

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.

<i>Aspidosiphon muelleri</i> Species of marine worm

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).

<i>Echiurus echiurus</i> Species of annelid worm

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.

<i>Paraleptopentacta elongata</i> Species of sea cucumber

Paraleptopentacta elongata is a species of sea cucumber in the family Cucumariidae. It is found in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and parts of the Mediterranean Sea. It is an infaunal species, occupying a burrow in the seabed, from which its anterior and posterior ends project.

<i>Themiste pyroides</i> Species of worm

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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 World Register of Marine Species
  2. 1 2 3 "Invertebrate Anatomy OnLine". Archived from the original on 2011-04-01. Retrieved 2011-03-13.
  3. Global Biodiversity Information Facility
  4. Peanut worms