Cephalodiscus densus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Hemichordata
Class:
Pterobranchia
Order:
Cephalodiscida
Family:
Cephalodiscidae
Genus:
Cephalodiscus
Species:
C. densus
Binomial name
Cephalodiscus densus
Andersson, 1907[1]

Cephalodiscus densus is a sessile hemichordate belonging to the order Cephalodiscida.[2] The species is endemic to the Antarctic, being found in the Ross Sea and much of the Antarctic coastline, as well as near the Kerguelen Islands.[3]

Specimens appear bush-like, with fleshy tubules approximately 1 mm in diameter[3] wrapped in a rock shell built of cemented sediment and other foreign material.[4] Individuals live in the upper portion of the shell, and eggs and young are stored in the lower portion, or the colony to which the base attaches.[4] The body is roughly 6 mm long, of which the stalk composes about 4 mm.[3] The preserved flesh appears on average orange in color, with individuals ranging from pale to dark brown.[3][4]

The largest-known colony of peanut worms is a 2.5-m colony of C. densus.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Andersson K (1907) Die Pterobranchier der Schwedischen Sudpolar-Expedition, 1901-1903. Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der Schwedischen Sudpolar-Expedition. Stockholm. pp. 1-122.
  2. ↑ Swalla, B.J.; van der Land, J. (2020). "Cephalodiscus densus". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Ridewood, W. G. (October 1921). "On specimens of Cephalodiscus densus dredged by the 'Challenger' in 1874 at Kerguelen Island" (PDF). Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 8 (46): 433–440. doi:10.1080/00222932108632603. ISSN 0374-5481 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  4. 1 2 3 Schiaparelli, S.; Cattaneo-Vietti, R.; Mierzejewski, P. (2004-11-01). "A "protective shell" around the larval cocoon of Cephalodiscus densus Andersson, 1907 (Graptolithoidea, Hemichordata)" (PDF). Polar Biology. 27 (12): 813–817. doi:10.1007/s00300-004-0661-x. ISSN 1432-2056 – via ResearchGate.
  5. ↑ McClain, Craig. "Hemichordata (Peanut Worms)". The Story of Size. Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 2023-06-10.


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