Ar.123 Echiurus echiurus (Alaska Spoonworm)

 

Ar.123                                      Echiurus echiurus (Alaska Spoonworm)

 

Kingdom  :      Animalia

Phylum    :       Annelida

Class       :        Polychaeta

Subclass  :        Echiura

Order      :        Echiuroidea

Family    :         Echiuridae

Genus     :        Echiurus

Species   :         E. echiurus

 

Description: Echiurus echiurus is a species of spoon worm in the family Echiuridae. It is found in the North Atlantic Ocean and a subspecies is found in Alaska. It burrows into soft sediment and under boulders and stones in muddy places. This spoon worm has a roughly cylindrical trunk between 70 and 110 mm (2.8 and 4.3 in) long. At the anterior end of the trunk, just beside the mouth, a scoop-shaped proboscis about 30 to 40 mm (1.2 to 1.6 in) long extends forward. The trunk has about 22 rings of papillae, a ring of larger papillae alternating with several rings of smaller papillae. A pair of hooked chaetae (chitinous bristles) is borne just behind the mouth on the underside of the worm and there are two rings of chaetae on the posterior end of the trunk, near the anus. Internally, the rectum is partially obscured by two long anal diverticula with ciliated funnels. Externally, the trunk is greyish-brown while the proboscis is orange with brownish streaks.

 

IUCN Status: Not evaluated