Xenoturbella japonica is a marine benthic worm-like species that belongs to the genus Xenoturbella. It has been discovered in western Pacific Ocean by a group of Japanese scientists from the University of Tsukuba. The species was described in 2017 in a study published in the journal BMC Evolutionary Biology,[1] and amended in 2018.[2]
| Xenoturbella japonica | |
|---|---|
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| X. japonica holotype female. The white arrowhead indicates the ring furrow. | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Xenacoelomorpha |
| Family: | Xenoturbellidae |
| Genus: | Xenoturbella |
| Species: | X. japonica
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| Binomial name | |
| Xenoturbella japonica Nakano, Miyazawa, Maeno, Shiroishi, Kakui, Koyanagi, Kanda, Satoh, Omori & Kohtsuka, 2018
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Xenotrubella japonica is known for lacking respiratory, circulatory and an excretory system.[3][4][1]
Description edit
The etymology of the species name corresponds to the locality where the specimens were sampled.
Xenoturbella japonica is 5.3 cm (2.1 in) in length, with a pale orange colouration. The body wall displays ring and side furrows. The mouth is orientated ventrally, just anterior to the ring furrow. The live specimen exhibits a conspicuous ventral epidermal glandular network.[1] Tissues contain exogenous DNA corresponding to bivalve mollusks, the vesicomyid Acila castrensis and Nucula nucleus.[1]
Phylogeny edit
Comparison of mitochondrial DNA and protein sequences showed that the species Xenoturbella japonica is the sister group to X. bocki and X. hollandorum into a clade of 'shallow-water' taxa.
| Species-level cladogram of the genus Xenoturbella. | |||||||||||||||
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| The cladogram has been reconstructed from mitochondrial DNA and protein sequences.[5][1] |
References edit
- ^ a b c d e Nakano, Hiroaki; Miyazawa, Hideyuki; Maeno, Akiteru; Shiroishi, Toshihiko; Kakui, Keiichi; Koyanagi, Ryo; Kanda, Miyuki; Satoh, Noriyuki; Omori, Akihito; Kohtsuka, Hisanori (2017). "A new species of Xenoturbella from the western Pacific Ocean and the evolution of Xenoturbella". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 17 (1): 245. doi:10.1186/s12862-017-1080-2. PMC 5733810. PMID 29249199.
- ^ Nakano, Hiroaki; Miyazawa, Hideyuki; Maeno, Akiteru; Shiroishi, Toshihiko; Kakui, Keiichi; Koyanagi, Ryo; Kanda, Miyuki; Satoh, Noriyuki; Omori, Akihito; Kohtsuka, Hisanori (2018-06-07). "Correction to: A new species of Xenoturbella from the western Pacific Ocean and the evolution of Xenoturbella". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 18 (1): 83. doi:10.1186/s12862-018-1190-5. ISSN 1471-2148. PMC 5991446. PMID 29879905.
- ^ Georgiou, Aristo (19 December 2017). "Mysterious new deep-sea species with no anus sheds light on early evolution". International Business Times. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
- ^ "Mysterious new seafloor species sheds light on early animal evolution". Phys.org. 19 December 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
- ^ Rouse, Greg W.; Wilson, Nerida G.; Carvajal, Jose I.; Vrijenhoek, Robert C. (2016-02-04). "New deep-sea species of Xenoturbella and the position of Xenacoelomorpha". Nature. 530 (7588): 94–97. Bibcode:2016Natur.530...94R. doi:10.1038/nature16545. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 26842060. S2CID 3870574.
External links edit
Media related to Xenoturbella japonica at Wikimedia Commons
