Sagittiferidae

Sagittiferidae is a family of acoelomorph worms.

Contents 1 Systematics 2 Characteristics 3 Species 3.1 Antrosagittifera 3.2 Convolutriloba 3.3 Sagittifera 3.4 Symsagittifera 4 References

Systematics

The family is divided into five genera (see taxobox) and contains about 20 species (Turbellarian taxonomic database, 2006). The affinities of the genera are as yet unclear. Some biologists prefer to exclude the genus Praesagittifera, leaving into the family only the genera with sagittocysts (Achaz et al., 2005).

Characteristics

Sagittiferidae are small flat worm-like animals. Several of them grow symbiotic algae Tetraselmis in their body cavity and tissues.

Special characteristics include a ciliated or non-ciliated sac-like male antrum. Most members have sagittocysts (Kostenko&Mamkaev,1990) on their skin. Sagittocysts are needle like bodies 18-50 microns long that contain some secretory product. They can be extruded from the body by an associated muscle.^[1] They are believed to play a role in defence and prey capture. Ultrastructurally, they have a vesicular core surrounded by a mesh of actin filaments.

Species

Antrosagittifera

Contains the following species:

• Antrosagittifera corallina Hooge & Tyler, 2001

Convolutriloba

Contains the following species:

• Convolutriloba hastifera Winsor 1990
• Convolutriloba longifissura Bartolomaeus & Balzer, 1997
• Convolutriloba macropyga Shannon & Achatz, 2007
• Convolutriloba retrogemma Hendelberg & Akesson 1988

Sagittifera

Contains the following species:

• Sagittifera sagittifera (Ivanov, 1952)

Symsagittifera

Contains the following species:

• Symsagittifera bifoveolata (Mamkaev, 1971)
• Symsagittifera corsicae Gschwentner, Baric & Rieger, 2002
• Symsagittifera japonica (Kato, 1951)
• Symsagittifera macnaei (Marcus, 1957)
• Symsagittifera nitidae (Yamasu, 1982)
• Symsagittifera poenicea Kozloff 1998
• Symsagittifera psammophila (Beklemischev, 1957)
• Symsagittifera roscoffensis (Graff, 1891)
• Symsagittifera schultzei (Schmidt, 1852)
• Symsagittifera smaragdina Achatz, Gschwentner & Rieger, 2005

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Gschwentner, Robert; Ladurner, Peter; Salvenmoser, Willi; Rieger, Reinhard; Tyler, Seth (1999), "Fine Structure and Evolutionary Significance of Sagittocysts of Convolutriloba longifissura (Acoela, Platyhelminthes)", Invertebrate Biology (American Microscopical Society) 118 (4): 332, doi:10.2307/3227005, JSTOR 3227005 

• Turbellarian taxonomic database online[1]
• Achaz,J.G, Gschwentner,R, Rieger,R, "Symsagittifera smaragdina sp. nov.: A new acoel (Acoela: Acoelomorpha) from the Mediterranean Sea", Zootaxa 1085: 33-45, 2005
• Kostenko,A.G, Mamkaev,Y.V. "The position of "green convoluts" in the system of acoel turbellarians (Turbellaria, Acoela). 1. Simsagittifera gen. n. 2. Sagittiferidae fam. n", Zool Zh 69(6):11-21,1990