Biodiversity & Conservation

A spoon worm - Thalassema thalassemum - General information

Thalassema thalassemum

Image Steve Trewhella - Thalassema thalassema. Image width ca XX cm.
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Distribution map

Thalassema thalassemum recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

Why do the maps differ?

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Thalassema thalassemum is not listed under any importance categories.

General information

Key Icon Researched by: Saskiya Richards Text page icon Refereed by:

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy

Phylum Echiura Spoon worms
Class Echiuroidea
Map icon Recorded distribution in Britain and Ireland Thalassema thalassemum is recorded from south-west England, south-west Wales, southern and western Ireland and south-west Scotland. In addition, it has been recorded at Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man and off north Wales.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Thalassema thalassemum inhabits sandy or muddy sediments and rock crevices at both low and shallow water. It creates a u-shaped burrow within the sediment that is lined with mucus.
Text page icon Description Thalassema thalassemum is an unsegmented, soft-bodied spoon worm. The main body, or trunk, is bilaterally symmetrical and reaches a length of up to 2-7 cm. The colour of the trunk varies between individuals and may be blue, grey, yellow, pink or purple. On the surface of the trunk are numerous papillae that are arranged in rings around the body, and which increase in number towards the posterior. Along the middle of the ventral surface of the body there is sometimes a single white line. The mouth is positioned at the base of the proboscis and behind this lies a pair of chaetae. The proboscis is coloured peach or cream, can extend up to 10-20 cm and may appear to have a ventral channel when its lateral margins roll inwards during feeding.

This review can be cited as follows:

Saskiya Richards 2008. Thalassema thalassemum. A spoon worm. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 03/09/2010]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesfullreview.php?speciesID=4455>