| Phascolosoma granulatum | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Annelida |
| Class: | Sipuncula |
| Order: | Phascolosomatida |
| Family: | Phascolosomatidae |
| Genus: | Phascolosoma |
| Species: | P. granulatum |
| Binomial name | |
| Phascolosoma granulatum | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
List
| |
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. [1]
Phascolosoma granulatum is a moderately large peanut worm growing to a length of 100 mm (4 in). The trunk is robust and tapers towards the posterior. The eversible introvert has a crescent-shaped bundle of 12 to 60 tentacles near its tip; these tentacles are located above the mouth and surround the large nuchal organ. Below the oral disc is a swollen collar with up to 60 rings of curved hooks with broad triangular bases. The posterior rings are often partially worn away. The surface of the trunk is covered with dome-shaped papillae (fleshy projections from the body wall) of various sizes, each tipped with a dark coloured ring. The largest papillae are at the base of the introvert and at the foot of the trunk and are often a darker colour than the remainder. Small individual worms tend to have dark banding on the introvert. In general the colouring and appearance of this species is quite variable which probably explains why it has so many synonyms. [2]
Phascolosoma granulatum is native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It has been recorded in Norway but its main range extends from the British Isles southwards to the Cape Verde Islands and the Mediterranean Sea. In the British Isles, it is mainly found on the western coast of Ireland as well as in Shetland, Orkney and the Hebrides, and sporadically elsewhere. It burrows in soft sediments, such as muddy sand and gravel, intertidally and to a depth of about 90 m (300 ft); it conceals itself under rocks and in crevices and is often associated with the red crustose algae Lithothamnion . [2] Reports that it occurs in the Indian Ocean are now thought to refer to Phascolosoma stephensoni . [3]
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.
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.
Sipunculus nudus is a cosmopolitan species of unsegmented marine worm of the phylum Sipuncula, also known as peanut worms.
Phascolosomatidae is a family of peanut worms. It is the only family in the order Phascolosomatida, which is in the class Phascolosomatidea.
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.
Holothuria forskali, the black sea cucumber or cotton-spinner, is a species of sea cucumber in the family Holothuriidae. It is found at shallow depths in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It was placed in the subgenus Panningothuria by Rowe in 1969 and is the typetaxon of the subgenus.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Phyllodoce lineata is a species of polychaete worm in the family Phyllodocidae. It is native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea where it occurs in the intertidal and shallow sub-tidal zones on soft sediment.
Thyone roscovita is a species of sea cucumber in the family Phyllophoridae. It is found on gravel, sand and mud substrates in the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea at depths down to about 40 m (130 ft). It is a suspension feeder and catches food particles floating past with its branched feeding tentacles.