Topic
Planctosphaera
About: Planctosphaera is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2 publications have been published within this topic receiving 34 citations.
Papers
TL;DR: It is suggested that the planctosphaera may use a suspension-feeding mechanism much like that of the other feeding deuterostome larvae known to capture food particles using a single ciliated band, and the movement of dye streams and food particles and the structure of the ciliated group suggest that some particles may be captured by the reversal of ciliary beat.
Abstract: We describe aspects of the anatomy and suspension-feeding mechanism of a single Planctosphaera pelagica captured from the plankton in June 1992 off Bermuda in the western Atlantic. We also describe several unusual features of the larva, including its occurrence in surface waters, unusually large size, and limited swimming ability. Our account of the form and feeding behavior of P. pelagica is the first based on observations of a specimen captured and observed alive. Our limited observations suggest that the planctosphaera may use a suspension-feeding mechanism much like that of the other feeding deuterostome larvae (the pluteus and bipinnaria larvae of echinoderms and the tornaria larva of enteropneust hemichordates) known to capture food particles using a single ciliated band. Although we could not observe cilia directly, the movement of dye streams and food particles and the structure of the ciliated band suggest that some particles may be captured at the ciliated band by the reversal of ciliary beat. The planctosphaera possesses many prominent mucous glands near the food grooves. This suggests an important role of mucus in the biology of the larva, but we were not able to observe directly any role of mucus in particle capture.
24 citations
TL;DR: Four specimens of the unusual hemichordate larva Planctosphaera sp.
Abstract: Four specimens of the unusual hemichordate larva Planctosphaera sp., previously known only from the North Atlantic Ocean were collected by midwater trawl from depths of 75 to 500 m near the Hawaiian Islands in May 1974 and in September 1977 and 1982. The anatomy of the Pacific specimens is indistinguishable from published descriptions of those from the Atlantic. The distribution of known specimens of planctosphaera in subsurface or deeper waters in both major ocean systems of the world suggests that they are larvae of a widely distributed species, perhaps from abyssal depths.
10 citations
Related Topics (5)
Performance Metrics
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 1994 | 1 |
| 1983 | 1 |