Not assigned |
Sipuncula |
Sipunculidae
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Benthic; depth range 0 - 2275 m (Ref. 775). Temperate; 15°C - 30°C (Ref. 358); 35°N - (Ref. 358)
Indo-West Pacific, North and Central Atlantic, and the Mediterranean. Cosmopolitan. Temperate and subtropical.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm Max length : 30.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 86591); common length : 1.0 cm male/unsexed; (Ref. 358)
Small ones: transparent and iridescent. Large one: pinkish red. Skin is smooth to small ones. Trunk: has no papillae; introvert is covered with triangular "scales" or large white papillae directed posteriorly. Some having 4 lobes - 2 dorsal and 2 ventral. Longitudinal muscle bands (LMBs): thick strong ridges; common 5-15 cm long with 24-34 LMBs. Refractors muscles are separate and attach at the same level, each with a broad base extending over 5 - 7 longitudinal muscle bands. Spindle muscle: attached anterior to the anus. Gut: attached to the body wall by several fixing muscles or connective tissue strands throughout its length; very thin, transparent, and fragile. Nephridia: vary in length; range from 10 to 20% of the trunk length. Nephridiopores: anterior to the anus between the 4th and 5th longitudinal muscle bands. Ventral nerve cord: loosely attached anteriorly with numerous, large, lateral offshoots to the introvert (Ref. 358).
Eulittoral; intertidal and subtidal on mud, rocks, sand, silt and in rock cracks or crevices (Ref. 358 and 1784). Occurs from 12 m (Ref. 358) in the littoral zone to 2275 m (Ref. 775) along continental shelf and slope (Ref. 1456). Predated on by the finfish Diplodus sargus sargus (Ref. 41986). Inhabits shallow, subtidal sand flat. Depth: shallowest is 12 m (Ref. 358); littoral zone to 2275 m (Ref. 775, 1819); continental shelf, continental slope (Ref. 1456); intertidal zone, sandy bottoms, rock crack, eulittoral zone; mud, sand (Ref. 1784). Intertidal to 30 m, and few from 100-900 m (Ref. 1840). Burrows (Ref. 116123). A sub-surface deposit feeder (Ref. 96376). Builds a permanent burrow in the sand, obtaining food particles by moving the finer organic materials washed into the burrow (Ref. 125338).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Göthel, H. 1992. (Ref. 358)
IUCN Red List Status
(Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
CITES status (Ref. 108899)
Not Evaluated
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Human uses
| FishSource |
Tools
More information
Trophic EcologyFood itemsDiet compositionFood consumptionFood rationsPredators Life cycleReproduction
Maturity
Fecundity
Spawning
Eggs
Egg development
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Human RelatedAquaculture profiles
Stamps, coins, misc.
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature
(Ref.
115969): 5 - 13.9, mean 8.3 (based on 1339 cells).
Vulnerability
Low vulnerability (20 of 100).
Price category
Unknown.