- Symsagittifera roscoffensis
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Symsagittifera roscoffensis Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Acoelomorpha Class: Acoela Order: Acoela Family: Sagittiferidae Genus: Symsagittifera Species: S. roscoffensis Binomial name Symsagittifera roscoffensis
(Graff, 1891)Synonyms Convoluta roscoffensis Graff, 1891
Symsagittifera roscoffensis, formerly called Convoluta roscoffensis, is a free-living acoelomorph worm.
Contents
Appearance
Symsagittifera roscoffensis is a small (about 15 mm long) flat worm. Due to the algae, Tetraselmis convolutae, which it assimilates into its body cavity, it has green colour.[1] Its common name in the Channel Islands is "mint sauce worm" by reason of its appearance.
Ecology and distribution
In its adult stage, the worm lives off the excesses of its symbiotic algae, although the mouth is still present posteriorly to the statocyst. The worm provides shelter and some nutritional benefits in return.
The worm can be found in shallow water on sheltered sand beaches along most of the Atlantic Coast (including the coasts of Wales, Brittany, the North of Spain and Portugal).
Name
The genus name was originally spelled Simsagittifera; Mamkaev & Kostenko corrected it in 1991 to Symsagittifera but Faubel et al. (2004) maintain that Simsagittifera should be retained.[2]
Significance to humans
Symsagittifera roscoffensis is one of the model organisms for studying the development of bilaterians.
References
- ^ Semmler, H; Bailly, X; Wanninger, A (Sep 2008), "Myogenesis in the basal bilaterian Symsagittifera roscoffensis (Acoela)" (Free full text), Frontiers in Zoology 5: 14, doi:10.1186/1742-9994-5-14, PMC 2562460, PMID 18803837, http://www.frontiersinzoology.com/content/5//14
- ^ Anno FAUBEL, Masaharu KAWAKATSU, Eudóxia Maria FROEHLICH (E-mail: emfroeh@ib.usp.br), Hugh D. JONES and Gen-yu SASAKI (Jan. 24, 2004), The Present Status of Taxonomic Studies on Acoela (Platyhelminthes) in Japan, ISSN 1348-3412, http://planarian.net/kswp/42/acoela.pdf
External links
- http://www.rzuser.uni-heidelberg.de/~bu6/Convoluta.html
- http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/resources/Grzimek_inverts/Acoela/Convoluta_roscoffensis.jpg/view.html
- http://www.konig-photo.com/english/galerie/zoom.asp?pre=8169&NumPhoto=8170&suiv=8171&Rub=476
- http://www.paulchambers.eu/jersey_marine/comb_jellies.html
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