Disconatis

Disconatis is a genus of marine annelids in the family Polynoidae (scale worms). The genus includes two species which are both commensal with other kinds of marine Annelida and occur in Australia and New Zealand.[2]

Disconatis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Annelida
Class: Polychaeta
Order: Phyllodocida
Family: Polynoidae
Genus: Disconatis
Hanley & Burke, 1988
Type species
Disconatis contubernalis
Hanley & Burke, 1988[1]

Species

As at September 2020, there are two species within Disconatis:

Description

Disconatis is a long-bodied genus with up to 152 segments and 22–80 pairs of elytra which are small and translucent; the first pair are much larger than the following elytra. The lateral antennae are inserted ventral to the median antenna. The notopodium is vestigial and notochaetae are absent. The neuropodium is rounded and the neurochaetae are uinidentate but have serrations on the convex side.[2]

Biology and ecology

Both known species of Disconatis are commensal, with each species living in the tubes of marine annelids in a different family: Arenicolidae and Maldanidae.

References
  1. Read, G.; Fauchald, K. (Ed.) (2020). World Polychaeta database. Disconatis Hanley & Burke, 1988. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=324940 on 2020-09-11
  2. Source reference(s) for description: Hanley, J. Russell and Burke, Melanie 1988. A new genus and species of commensal scaleworm (Polychaeta: Polynoidae). The Beagle, Records of the Northern Territory Museum of Arts and Sciences, 5(1): 5–15.
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