urechis unicinctus
{{Short description|Species of annelid worm}}
{{distinguish|text = the fat innkeeper worm Urechis caupo}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Echiura in Korea1.jpg
| image_caption = Urechis unicinctus at a market in Korea.
| genus = Urechis
| species = unicinctus
| authority = von Drasche, 1881{{cite WoRMS |author=van der Land, Jacob |author2=Murina, Galina Vansetti |year=2012 |title=Urechis unicinctus (Drasche, 1880) |id=266877 |access-date=2012-11-12 }}{{Cite journal |date=1880 |title=Zur Kenntnis des Baues der Segmentalorgane bei Echiuren |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/9456797 |journal=Zoologischer Anzeiger |language=de |location=Jena |publisher=VEB Gustav Fischer Verlag |volume=3 |issue=46–72 |pages=517–519 |via=Biodiversity Heritage Library}}
}}
Urechis unicinctus, known as the fat innkeeper worm or penis fish,{{Cite web|url=https://www.uniprot.org/uniprot/E0AD99|title=UFE - Fibrinolytic enzyme - Urechis unicinctus (Fat innkeeper worm) - UFE gene & protein|website=www.uniprot.org|access-date=2019-12-16}} is a species of marine spoon worm in East Asia. It is found in Bohai Gulf of China and off the Korean and Hokkaido coasts.{{cite journal|title=Genetic diversity and population structure of penis fish (Urechis unicinctus) based on mitochondrial and nuclear gene markers.|journal=Mitochondrial DNA Part A|volume=29|issue=8|pages=1261–1268|pmid=29482423|year=2018|last1=Gong|first1=J.|last2=Zhao|first2=R.|last3=Deng|first3=J.|last4=Zhao|first4=Y.|last5=Zuo|first5=J.|last6=Huang|first6=L.|last7=Jing|first7=M.|doi=10.1080/24701394.2018.1444039|s2cid=3560690 |url=https://figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/5927947 |url-access=subscription}} It is not to be confused with a closely related species, Urechis caupo, which occurs on the western coast of North America and shares common names.{{cite web|url = https://inverts.wallawalla.edu/Echiura/Urechis_caupo.html |title = Urechis caupo Fisher and MacGinitie, 1928 |work = Invertebrates of the Salish Sea|last = Cowles|first = Dave|year = 2010|publisher = Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory (a campus of Walla Walla University, Washington)|access-date = 25 January 2019}} The body is about {{convert|10–30|cm|in|0|abbr=off}} long, cylindrical in shape and yellowish-brown in color. On the surface of the body there are many small papillae.
Ecology
This spoonworm is a detritivore, feeding on detritus and lives and burrows in sand and mud like other Urechis species. It creates a U-shaped burrow in the soft sediment of the seabed. A ring of glands at the front of the proboscis secrete mucus which sticks to the burrow wall. The worm continues to exude mucus as it moves backwards in the burrow thus creating a mucus net. The worm draws water through its burrow by peristaltic contractions of its body and food particles adhere to the net. When enough food is gathered, the worm moves forward in its burrow and swallows the net and entangled food. This process is repeated, and in an area with plenty of detritus, may be completed in only a few minutes.{{Cite encyclopedia |year=1982 |title=Encyclopedia of Marine Invertebrates |publisher=TFH Publications |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofma0000unse_f6h1/page/262 |last=Walls |first=Jerry G. |pages=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofma0000unse_f6h1/page/262 262–267] |isbn=0-86622-141-7}}
Large numbers have been known to become stranded on beaches in Japan; the original theory was that they were beached due to sea storms, but scientists have theorized that they swim at night to reproduce, which would raise the chances of beachings.{{Cite journal|last1=Abe|first1=Hirokazu|last2=Sato-Okoshi|first2=Waka|last3=Tanaka|first3=Masaatsu|last4=Okoshi|first4=Kenji|last5=Teramoto|first5=Wataru|last6=Kondoh|first6=Tomohiko|last7=Nishitani|first7=Goh|last8=Endo|first8=Yoshinari|date=June 2014|title=Swimming behavior of the spoon worm Urechis unicinctus (Annelida, Echiura)|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.zool.2013.12.001|journal=Zoology|volume=117|issue=3|pages=216–223|doi=10.1016/j.zool.2013.12.001|pmid=24698400 |bibcode=2014Zool..117..216A |issn=0944-2006|url-access=subscription}}
Uses
In Korea, it is called Gaebul ({{Korean|hangul=개불}}), which means a dog's testicle or penis. They are eaten as food,{{Cite encyclopedia |script-title=ko:개불 |encyclopedia=Naver Encyclopedia |url=http://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=1057766&cid=40942&categoryId=32473 |access-date=2018-03-17 |language=ko |trans-title=Gaebul}} often raw with salt and sesame oil or gochujang. They are distributed in Korea, Hokkaido, and the Pacific coast.
In Chinese cuisine, the worm is stir-fried with vegetables, or dried and powdered to be used as an umami enhancer.
It is also used as fishing bait for fish such as flounder and sea bream.
File:Haichang.ogv, China]]
File:Gaebul.jpg|Urechis unicinctus ({{Korean/auto|hangul=개불|rr=yes|labels=no}}) sold at a fish market at Busan, South Korea.
File:Korean sea worm.jpg|Urechis unicinctus served as hoe in a restaurant in South Korea.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20140201205405/http://chincha.co.uk/2013/05/5-korean-foods-for-adventurous-eaters/ 5 Korean foods for adventurous eaters] Chincha.co.uk
{{Taxonbar|from=Q716898}}
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