Cephalodiscus_densus
Cephalodiscus densus
Species of hemichordate in the pterobranchian class
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]
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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