Aspidosiphon elegans
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| Aspidosiphon elegans | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Annelida |
| Class: | Sipuncula |
| Order: | Aspidosiphonida |
| Family: | Aspidosiphonidae |
| Genus: | Aspidosiphon |
| Species: | A. elegans |
| Binomial name | |
| Aspidosiphon elegans | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Aspidosiphon elegans is a species of unsegmented benthic marine worm in the phylum Sipuncula, the peanut worms. It is a bioeroding species and burrows into limestone rocks, stones and corals. It occurs in the western Indo-Pacific region, the Red Sea, and the tropical western Atlantic Ocean, and is invasive in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
Aspidosiphon elegans can grow up to 80 mm (3 in) in length, but 25 mm (1.0 in) is a more usual size. The introvert is at least as long as the trunk and both are smooth and white. The tip of the introvert bears the oral disc with the mouth and six to twelve short tentacles. The distal part of the introvert bears rings of two-pronged hooks while the proximal part bears scattered, dark-coloured conical hooks. The anal shield is ungrooved while the caudal shield is poorly developed and paler in colour than the anal shield. There are a pair of light-sensitive eye spots and a pair of nephridia.[2][3]