Pyrosoma
Appearance
Pyrosoma | |
---|---|
Pyrosoma atlanticum | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Subphylum: | Tunicata |
Class: | Thaliacea |
Order: | Pyrosomatida |
Family: | Pyrosomatidae |
Subfamily: | Pyrosomatinae |
Genus: | Pyrosoma Péron, 1804 [1] |
Synonyms[1] | |
|
Pyrosoma is a genus of pyrosomes, marine colonial tunicates in the class Thaliacea.[1][2] It contains four pelagic species found in temperate waters worldwide. Pyrosomes are filter feeders that uniquely use a type of continuous jet propulsion, generated by individual zooids, to slowly move forward while grazing; the species P. atlanticum has the highest known food clearance rate among zooplankton grazers. Colonies can reach lengths of up to 20 m (66 ft).[3]
Species
[edit]The genus contains four recognized species:[1]
- Pyrosoma aherniosum Seeliger, 1895
- Pyrosoma atlanticum Péron, 1804
- Pyrosoma godeauxi van Soest, 1981
- Pyrosoma ovatum Neumann, 1909
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d WoRMS. "Pyrosoma Péron, 1804". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ^ Péron, F. (1804). "Mémoire sur le nouveau genre Pyrosoma". Annales du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle. 4 (12): 437–446.
- ^ Henschke, Natasha; Pakhomov, Evgeny A.; Kwong, Lian E.; Everett, Jason D.; Laiolo, Leonardo; Coghlan, Amy R.; Suthers, Iain M. (May 2019). "Large vertical migrations of Pyrosoma atlanticum play an important role in active carbon transport". Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences. 124 (5): 1056–1070. doi:10.1029/2018JG004918. hdl:10453/139295.