The Phylum Kinorhyncha is sometimes considered a class of the Aschelminthes or Nemathlminthes and may also be referred to as the Echinoderida especially in the older literature. This phylum of marine pseudocoelomates is exclusively meiobenthic in marine and estuarine sediments, normally less than 1 mm in length, bilaterally symmetrical, and distinctly segmented.
The number and arrangement of neck and trunk plates is addition to the number and arrangement of spines and adhesive tubes constitute the basis for further classification of the 100 species whose descriptions are based on adult specimens: nearly 60 additional species have been described from juvenile stages which likely will be unrecognizable with an adult.
The Kinorhyncha are divided into 2 orders, the Cyclorhagida and the Homalorhagida. There are three habits in which Kinorhynchs are found. Most are found in the upper 0-3 cm organically enriched mud to muddy sand estuaries, or the sea, from intertidal to abyssal depths. Some are found in the association with algae or other invertebrates. The third habitat is the interstices of medium to coarse marine sand or gravel: either intertidal sand of high energy beaches ort subtidal medium to coarse sand, “shell-gravel”, and “shell-rash”, “Amphioxus-sand” or even “Halimeda-sand”.
The number and arrangement of neck and trunk plates is addition to the number and arrangement of spines and adhesive tubes constitute the basis for further classification of the 100 species whose descriptions are based on adult specimens: nearly 60 additional species have been described from juvenile stages which likely will be unrecognizable with an adult.
The Kinorhyncha are divided into 2 orders, the Cyclorhagida and the Homalorhagida. There are three habits in which Kinorhynchs are found. Most are found in the upper 0-3 cm organically enriched mud to muddy sand estuaries, or the sea, from intertidal to abyssal depths. Some are found in the association with algae or other invertebrates. The third habitat is the interstices of medium to coarse marine sand or gravel: either intertidal sand of high energy beaches ort subtidal medium to coarse sand, “shell-gravel”, and “shell-rash”, “Amphioxus-sand” or even “Halimeda-sand”.
No comments:
Post a Comment