Organisms are collected by trawl net from sandy-mud substrate. First of all I would like to thank to everyone who send the answer ant try to help me. Than for one who asked: samples were collected from south Adriatic Sea (Montenegro) at depth from 80-100 m. I put more photo about size and dissection.
Hi,
it could be a Priapulus sp.? But it is diffucult to determinate it from this foto.
Best wishes, Claudio
I agree with Claudio, but should know the temperature, as Priapulids are inhabiting cold water only. Exist about 30 species only. Size from couple mm to several cm. Discovered giant forms from Antarctic. To see proboscis press it carefully and it should appear introvert trunk... For more information call M. Antonio Todaro
Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia
Modena, Italy
He is in RG!
Good luck,
Andrey
It looks like a retracted anemone. You may try to cut it longitudinally to look for tentacles retracted into the pharynx?
Yes, indeed. In my opinion it is an anemone, as already Antonio said. Please check the internal view.
To me it looks to large to be Priapulus, and my first thought was a retracted anemone.
It looks more like an anemone than a Priapulus to me. Tom Trott, who often posts here has done work on Prialulids maybe he can shed some light on it.
Good Luck
From your address I assume it is a Mediterranean species. If this is the case, compare to the sea anemone Actinauge richardii, which lives semi-embedded in soft sediment in relatively deep water.
Indeed, there are good chances that it is a retracted Actinauge richardii, an internal analysis should reveal short conical tentacles. It is parasitized by the gastropod Opaliopsis atlantis.
This specimen does not have characteristics that would suggest it is a priapulid. I agree that this specimen does appear to be an anemone with retracted tentacles. As has been suggested, a simple dissection would confirm the presence of tentacles and that this is an anemone. A more detailed internal examination might help identify the species using local taxonomic keys.
I am curious about two details: (1) Where was this specimen collected? (2) What is the size of this specimen?
I agree with Tom. Rare specimen of Priapulus (maybe P. caudatus Lamarck, 1816).
Where does he come from?
This is warty deepsea anemone. Order Actiniaria, family Hormathiidae.
This is a sea anemone from order Actiniaria,family Hormathiidae and the species Choriactis leavis.
The accepted name of Coriactis laevis is Paractis laevis, it is an Actiniaria of the family Sagartiidae, not Hormathiidae, and it is known only for the coasts of South America, never reported for the Mediterranean Sea. I do not agree with Mauricio Oscar Zamponi.
Lets be real here, we won't know for sure until Slavica does a dissection.
I completely agree with Peter. In my first answer I explicitly said that is very difficult, impossible determine the sample on the bases of photo.
Best wishes, Claudio
Please Egidio Trainito,go to Karin Riemann-Zürneck and read The Actiniaria of South West Atlantic Ocean.
For me too it could be Actinauge. Specimens I sow were of the same shape and content, but more smooth, less tubercled. It was A. richardi. Maybe your specimens could belong to another (alien?) species.
All the best,
Danilo
Having seen the new image of the dissected specimen, I reiterate my original opinion that this is probably the anemone Actinauge richardii, or if not, a closely related species. The retracted tentacles are visible and the mass of sediment 'inside' the animal is not actually inside but the pedal disc forms a concavity that is filled with sediment such that the animal becomes firmly embedded. The degree of rugosity of the body depends in part on the state of contraction of the animal. See also: http://www.marinespecies.org/photogallery.php?album=4487&pic=1774
- Badges
- Science method
- Similar topics
- Biological Science
- Ecology