Phoronopsis

Phoronopsis is a genus of horseshoe worm in the family Phoronidae, in the phylum Phoronida. The members of the genus live in tubes at the bottom of the sea.

Phoronopsis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Clade: Lophophorata
Phylum: Phoronida
Family: Phoronidae
Genus: Phoronopsis
Gilchrist, 1907[1]
Type species
Phoronopsis albomaculata
Gilchrist, 1907[1]

Characteristics

Like other phoronids, members of this genus are benthic filter feeders with a worm-like body encased in a loosely fitting chitinous tube. The tube is buried in the substrate, and the worm is anchored to the tube by an ampulla, the swollen part of its abdomen. The genus is characterised by the epidermis folding under itself at the collar beneath the lophophore (feeding organ). This distinguishes it from the genus Phoronis. The gut is U-shaped, with the anus close to the mouth. The larval form, found in the zooplankton, is known as an "actinotroch".[2][3]

Distribution

The distribution is global.

Species

A 2018 phylogenetic analysis indicates that Phoronopsis is a monophyletic genus, while Phoronis is paraphyletic.[7]

References

  1. Gilchrist, J. D. F. (1907). "New Forms of the Hemichoedata From South Africa". Transactions of the South African Philosophical Society. 17: 153–157. doi:10.1080/21560382.1907.9526087; Pl. 16, Fig. 2.
  2. World Register of Marine Species: Phoronida
  3. Phoronida
  4. World Register of Marine Species
  5. Phoronopsis harmeri. Phoronida.
  6. Temereva, E.N. (2000). "New phoronid species Phoronopsis malakhovi (Lophophorata, Phoronida) from the south China Sea". Zoologicheskii Zhurnal (in Russian). 79 (9): 1088–1093.
  7. Temereva, E. N.; Neklyudov, B. V. (2018). A New Phoronid Species, Phoronis savinkini sp. n., from the South China Sea and an Analysis of the Taxonomic Diversity of Phoronida. Biology Bulletin. 45(7): 617-639. doi:10.1134/s1062359018070154
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.