Soft-bottom sipunculans in Izmir Bay (Aegean Sea, eastern Mediterranean)
Author
Açik, Sermin
text
Zootaxa
2009
2136
40
48
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.188511
0f8c81a5-2f90-47b6-a098-9d0a005457da
1175-5326
188511
Thysanocardia procera
(Moebius, 1875)
Description.
Body yellow and yellowish-red in colour, with circular base and rounded point. Trunk
2.5–6.2 mm
long,
1.3–1.8 mm
wide. Introvert
3.8–16 mm
long,
0.5–0.9 mm
wide. 7–9 tentacles surrounding bilobed nuchal organ (
Fig. 4
B). Distinct brown line present on oral surface of tentacle (
Fig. 4
B). Papillae on posterior end of trunk 17.5–40 µm height, 10–25 µm in diameter; papillae on anterior part of trunk 17.5–27.5 µm height, 7.5–15 µm in diameter. Contractile vessel with distinct villi. Distance between posterior end of trunk and base of retractors
0.25–1 mm
. Retractors originating from 10–16% of distance to end of trunk. Nephridiopores at same level to anus. Nephridia
1–1.5 mm
height,
0.2–0.3 mm
wide. Trunk 2.5–4.1 times nephridia length.
Ecology.
In the study area, this species was found on sandy-mud, muddy-sand and
Posidonia oceanica
between
15–
30 m
.
Distribution.
North Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea (
Saiz Salinas & Villafranca Urchegui 1990
).