Cephalodiscus densus
Species of hemichordate
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cephalodiscus densus is a sessile hemichordate belonging to the order Cephalodiscida.[2] The species is endemic to the Antarctic, being found in the Ross Sea and much of the Antarctic coastline, as well as near the Kerguelen Islands.[3]
| Cephalodiscus densus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Hemichordata |
| Class: | Pterobranchia |
| Order: | Cephalodiscida |
| Family: | Cephalodiscidae |
| Genus: | Cephalodiscus |
| Species: | C. densus |
| Binomial name | |
| Cephalodiscus densus Andersson, 1907[1] | |
Specimens appear bush-like, with fleshy tubules approximately 1 mm in diameter[3] wrapped in a rock shell built of cemented sediment and other foreign material.[4] Individuals live in the upper portion of the shell, and eggs and young are stored in the lower portion, or the colony to which the base attaches.[4] The body is roughly 6 mm long, of which the stalk composes about 4 mm.[3] The preserved flesh appears on average orange in color, with individuals ranging from pale to dark brown.[3][4]
The largest-known colony of peanut worms is a 2.5-m colony of C. densus.[5]
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