Login
Login

Aphrodita

{{Short description|Genus of marine worms}}

{{For|the Ancient Greek goddess|Aphrodite}}

{{Italic title}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| image = Aphrodita aculeata (Sea mouse).jpg

| image_caption = Aphrodita aculeata

| taxon = Aphrodita

| authority = Linnaeus, 1758

| display_parents = 3

| type_species = Aphrodita aculeata

| type_species_authority = Linnaeus, 1758

| subdivision_ranks = Species

| subdivision = See text

| synonyms =

}}

Aphrodita is a genus of marine polychaete worms found in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

Several members of the genus are known as "sea mice".

Etymology

File:Aphrodita aculeata.jpg

The name of the genus is taken from Aphrodite, the Ancient Greek goddess of love, said to be because of a resemblance to human female genitalia.{{Cite web |last=Kennedy |first=Jennifer |date=1 October 2019 |title=Profile of the Sea Mouse Ocean Worm |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/sea-mouse-profile-2291398 |access-date=29 September 2021 |website=ThoughtCo}} The English name may derive from the animal's similarity, when washed up on shore, to a bedraggled house mouse.{{cite book | title=Ocean: The World's Last Wilderness Revealed | publisher=DK Publishing | year=2006 | location=New York City | isbn=978-0-7566-2205-3 | edition=first American | page=276 | chapter=Ocean Life | editor1-last=Warren | editor1-first=Rebecca | editor2-last=van Zyl | editor2-first=Miezan | editor3-last=O'Rourke | editor3-first=Ruth | editor4-last=Tokeley | editor4-first=Amber | editor5-last=Heilman | editor5-first=Christine}}

Description

Aphrodita adults generally fall within a size range of {{convert|7.5|to|15|cm|in}}, with some growing to {{convert|30|cm|in}}. The body is covered in a dense mat of parapodia and setae (hairlike structures). The animal lacks eyes, feeling its way with two pairs of appendages close to the mouth. Several small, bristly, paddle-like appendages provide locomotion. Aphrodita are hermaphroditic, having functional reproductive organs of both sexes, with the eggs of one individual being fertilised by the sperm of another.{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/animal/sea-mouse|title=Sea Mouse|website=Encyclopaedia Britannica}}

Structural coloration

{{Further|Structural coloration}}

The spines, or setae on the back of the animal are a unique feature. Normally, these have a deep red sheen. But when light shines on them perpendicularly, they flush green and blue – a "remarkable example of photonic engineering by a living organism". This structural coloration is a defense mechanism, giving a warning signal to potential predators. The effect is produced by many hexagonal cylinders within the spines, which are said to perform much more efficiently than man-made optical fibres.{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/1099278.stm | title=Sea mouse promises bright future | publisher=BBC | work=BBC News | date=January 3, 2001 | access-date=April 26, 2012}}

Feeding

Aphrodita are typically scavengers.{{cite encyclopedia | title=sea mouse | encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica | publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. | access-date=April 26, 2012 | url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/530649/sea-mouse}} However, Aphrodita aculeata is an active predator,{{cite web|last1=Tyler|first1=Lizzie|title=BIOTIC Species Information for Aphrodita aculeata|url=http://www.marlin.ac.uk/biotic/browse.php?sp=4405|website=Biological Traits Information Catalogue|access-date=24 December 2014}} feeding primarily on small crabs, hermit crabs, and other polychaete worms such as Pectinaria.

Species

Species recognized by the World Register of Marine Species:{{cite web |url= http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=129194 |title= Aphrodita Linnaeus, 1758 |last1= Fauchald |first1= Kristian |last2=Bellan |first2=Gérard |date=2008 |website= World Polychaeta database |publisher= World Register of Marine Species |access-date=28 July 2016}}

{{Div col}}

{{div col end}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

{{Commons category}}

  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20050420173345/http://www.physics.usyd.edu.au/theory/seamouse/ Sea Mouse images]
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20120825130646/http://www.physics.usyd.edu.au/theory/seamouse/PressClippings/photonic.pdf A Natural Photonic Crystal]

{{Taxonbar|from=Q3918661}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Phyllodocida