| Genus | Cephalodiscus |
|---|---|
| Species | densus |
| Authority | 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
- ^ Andersson K (1907) Die Pterobranchier der Schwedischen Sudpolar-Expedition, 1901-1903. Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der Schwedischen Sudpolar-Expedition. Stockholm. pp. 1-122.
- ^ Swalla, B.J. & van der Land, J. (2020). "Cephalodiscus densus". 266745. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
- ^ 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
- ^ Schiaparelli, S.; Cattaneo-Vietti, R.; Mierzejewski, P. (2004-11-01). "A “protective shell” around the larval cocoon of Cephalodiscus densus Andersson, 1907 (Graptolithoidea, Hemichordata)". Polar Biology. 27 (12): 813–817. doi:10.1007/s00300-004-0661-x. ISSN 1432-2056. – via ResearchGate.
- ^ McClain, Craig. "Hemichordata (Peanut Worms)". The Story of Size. Archived 20 February 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2023-06-10.