Lagis koreni
Lagis koreni | |
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The trumpet worm and its tube. | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Annelida |
Clade: | Pleistoannelida |
Clade: | Sedentaria |
Order: | Terebellida |
Family: | Pectinariidae |
Genus: | Lagis |
Species: | L. koreni
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Binomial name | |
Lagis koreni Malmgren, 1866
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Synonyms[1] | |
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Lagis koreni, commonly known as the trumpet worm, is a species of marine polychaete worm found in European waters. It lives within a narrow conical tube made of grains of sand and shell fragments.[1]
Taxonomy
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9e/Lagis_koreni_%28with_and_without_tube%29.jpg/220px-Lagis_koreni_%28with_and_without_tube%29.jpg)
In 1986, Holthe studied the family
Description
The trumpet worm is about 5 cm (2 in) long and relatively broad. The head has two pairs of tentacles and two bunches of gleaming golden spines which are used for digging. It also bears an operculum for sealing the tube in which it lives. The anterior fifteen body segments each bear chaetae or bristles, projecting laterally. These grow from a massive base and have six to eight rows of modified hooks and four rows of tiny teeth. The posterior segment is flattened and bears no chaetae. The animal is pale pink and iridescent, with two pairs of red gills and several red blood vessels visible beneath the surface.[3] It lives inside a long, narrow, conical tube composed of a single layer of grains of sand and shell fragments, skilfully cemented together like a mosaic [4] with a biomineralized adhesive substance secreted by specialized glands.[5]
Distribution and habitat
L. koreni is found in the seas bordering northwestern Europe including the Arctic Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the Adriatic Sea. It is usually found buried in sand or silty sand in the neritic zone.[3]
Biology
The cone-shaped tube of L. koreni is open at both ends, with the narrow end level with or slightly above the surface of the sediment. The worm lives head down in this tube and collects sub-surface particles with its tentacles. In the process it excavates a "feeding cavern" and also
It has been found that foraminifera, ciliates and small copepods are the main diet of the worm. However it disproportionally favours larger particles including nematodes, crustaceans and larger foraminifera even though these are too big to be digested. These large particles also include faecal pellets of Abra alba, a bivalve mollusc, large numbers of which share the same habitat. Any nutritive benefit to the worm of this practice probably depends on the assimilation of organic molecules and microbes adhering to the surface of the pellet or soluble components from inside. The pellets themselves are ejected relatively unchanged.[6]
Sexual reproduction takes place in the summer. In a study off the coast of
Ecology
The trumpet worm is sometimes found at a density of a thousand individuals per square metre, but numbers fluctuate greatly. Species associated with the trumpet worm in a community include the white furrow shell (Abra alba), the transparent razor shell (Phaxas pellucidus), the bivalve Mysella bidentata, the serpent star (Ophiura ophiura) and various polychaete worms. It has been found in studies of Liverpool Bay that in areas where the sediment has been disturbed by dredging and more deposition has occurred, Lagis koreni and Phaxas pellucidus often come to dominate the community.[9] Also in these studies, the community was shown to be associated with different habitats.[9]
The trumpet worm is often eaten by bottom-feeding fish including juvenile common dabs and plaice.[3]
References
- ^ a b Lagis koreni Malmgren, 1866. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
- ^ A Review of the Genera of Pectinariidae (Polychaeta) Together with a Description of the Australian Fauna. Australian Museums. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
- ^ a b c A bristleworm - Lagis koreni - General information. Marine Life Information Network. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
- ^ Barrett, J. & C. M. Yonge (1958) Collins Pocket Guide to the Sea Shore. Collins, London
- .
- ^ a b Sediment processing and selective feeding by Pectinaria koreni (Polychaeta: Pectinariidae). Retrieved August 8, 2011.
- ^ .
- ^ Coastal marine zooplankton: a practical manual for students. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
- ^ a b "Lagis koreni and Phaxas pellucidus in circalittoral sandy mud". Joint Nature Conservation Council. Retrieved August 8, 2011.