Peanut worms of the phylum Sipuncula from the Nha Trang Bay (South China Sea) with a key to species
Author
Adrianov, Andrey V.
Author
Maiorova, Anastassya S.
text
Zootaxa
2012
3166
41
58
journal article
45619
10.5281/zenodo.279772
32627594-388c-40b3-8481-0b241b850847
1175-5326
279772
Apionsoma misakianum
(Ikeda, 1904)
(
Fig. 4
B–D)
Material.
Nha Trang Bay: Mot Island,
10 m
depth, coral rubble and empty bivalve shells,
5 specimens
; Mung Island,
25 m
depth, muddy sand,
4 specimens
; Tre
Island
, intertidal, fouling community,
3 specimens
; Diamond Bay, intertidal, coral rubble,
2 specimens
.
Description.
Trunk spindle-shaped,
2–5 mm
long, 0.7 mm wide; posterior trunk with numerous papillae; body wall pale and translucent, muscle layers continuous. Introvert
7–10 X
longer than trunk, tentacular apparatus with 5–7 tentacles around the dorsal nuchal organ; hooks with accessory comb of 3–5 basal spinelets. The four retractor muscles originate at the midtrunk area. Gut with 15–20 loops; spindle muscle attached posteriorly. Nephridia bilobed and about 50% of trunk length.
Discussion.
In contrast to
A. misakianum
,
A. murinae
is characterized by a thick opaque body wall with large trunk papillae, while
A. trichocephalus
has a considerably long and vermiform body that lacks tentacles and hooks.
Apionsoma misakianum
is a tropical and subtropical species, widespread in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. This species inhabits coral, sand and algae mats in tidal pools and shallow waters. In the West Pacific it is known from Polynesia to
Japan
and in the South
China
Sea from the Hainan Island.