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
Aspidosiphon
(
Paraspidosiphon
)
tenuis
Sluiter, 1886
(
Fig. 5
R–S)
Material.
NhaTrang Bay: Mot Island, coral rubble,
7 m
depth,
3 specimens
; Tre
Island
, coral rubble,
6 m
depth,
6 specimens
; Tre
Island
, intertidal, fouling comunity,
5 specimens
; Diamond Bay, coral rubble, intertidal,
20 specimens
.
Description.
Trunk
5–15 mm
long,
2–3 mm
wide, pale or light brown, semitransparent; introvert 1.5–
2 X
trunk length. Anal shield green or brown-green, smooth and glossy, sometimes saddle-shaped or concave, composed of small dark units, with short marginal grooves; caudal shield brown-green, with radial grooves. Tentacles with white pigments; bidentate hooks 30 μm in height, arranged in rings on the distal introvert; unidentate hooks scattered on the proximal introvert. Pyramidal hooks absent. Longitudinal musculature splits into 23–25 anastomozing bands; retractor muscles originate 10% of trunk length from the caudal shield. Gut with 10–15 loops. Nephridia are about 80–90% of trunk length, unattached.
Discussion.
This species differs from other representatives of the subgenus
Aspidosiphon (Paraspidosiphon)
by the anal shield structure, the presence of both bidentate and unidentate hooks, and the absence of pyramidal hooks.
This is a tropical Indo-West Pacific species known from
Australia
to
Taiwan
. It inhabits coral rocks and shells in shallow water.