Sagittiferidae
| Sagittiferidae | |
|---|---|
.png) | |
| Symsagittifera schultzei | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Acoelomorpha |
| Class: | Acoela |
| Order: | not assigned |
| Family: | Sagittiferidae |
| Genera | |
| |
Sagittiferidae is a family of acoelomorph worms.
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.[2]
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 on their skin.[3] Sagittocysts are needle like bodies 18-50 µm 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 2 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
- ↑ 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