Rhabdopleura compacta

Rhabdopleura compacta is a sessile hemichordate. It is a suspension feeder that secretes tubes on the ocean floor.[1][2]

Rhabdopleura compacta
Rhabdopleura compacta colony with creeping and erect tubes
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Hemichordata
Class:	Pterobranchia
Order:	Rhabdopleurida
Family:	Rhabdopleuridae
Genus:	Rhabdopleura
Species:	R. compacta
Binomial name
Rhabdopleura compacta Hincks, 1880

Unlike all other Rhabdopleura species, the zooids have black elongated arms with no tentacles.[3]

Distribution

Rhabdopleura compacta occurs in Atlantic waters. It has been found in the English Channel and the Gulf of Mexico.[3]

Reproduction and life cycle

The reproduction and life cycle of Rhabdopleura compacta has been studied by Stebbing (1970) and Dilly (1973).[4][5]

Gonads are shown in the image below.

Left and right gonads (g) in Rhabdopleura compacta.

References

1. Maletz, Jörg (2014). "The classification of the Pterobranchia (Cephalodiscida and Graptolithina)". Bulletin of Geosciences. 89 (3): 477–540. doi:10.3140/bull.geosci.1465. ISSN 1214-1119.
2. Maletz, Jörg (2017). Graptolite Paleobiology. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 9781118515617.
3. Beli E, Aglieri G, Strano F, Maggioni D, Telford MJ, Piraino S, Cameron CB (2018) The zoogeography of extant rhabdopleurid hemichordates (Pterobranchia: Graptolithina), with a new species from the Mediterranean Sea. Invertebr Syst 32(1):100–110. doi:10.1071/IS17021
4. Stebbing, ARD (1970). "Aspects of the reproduction and life cycle of Rhabdopleura compacta (Hemichordata)". Marine Biology. 5 (3): 205–212. doi:10.1007/BF00346908.
5. Dilly, PN (1973). "The larva of Rhabdopleura compacta (Hemichordata)". Marine Biology. 18: 69–86. doi:10.1007/BF00347923.