''Acanthozoon'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

polyclad The Polycladida represents a highly diverse clade of free-living marine flatworms. They are known from the littoral to the sublittoral zone (extending to the deep hot vents), and many species are common from coral reefs. Only a few species are fo ...

flatworm Platyhelminthes (from the Greek language, Greek πλατύ, ''platy'', meaning "flat" and ἕλμινς (root: ἑλμινθ-), ''helminth-'', meaning "worm") is a Phylum (biology), phylum of relatively simple bilaterian, Segmentation (biology), ...

s belonging to the family

Pseudocerotidae Pseudocerotidae is a family of flatworm Platyhelminthes (from the Greek language, Greek πλατύ, ''platy'', meaning "flat" and ἕλμινς (root: ἑλμινθ-), ''helminth-'', meaning "worm") is a Phylum (biology), phylum of relatively ...

Description

The

''Acanthozoon'' is physically characterized by a dorsal side with small raised papillae and ruffled edges. Their body is elongate oval. The

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of this

have a complex and very folded

pharynx The pharynx (: pharynges) is the part of the throat behind the human mouth, mouth and nasal cavity, and above the esophagus and trachea (the tubes going down to the stomach and the lungs respectively). It is found in vertebrates and invertebrates ...

. They also have small pseudo-

tentacle In zoology, a tentacle is a flexible, mobile, and elongated organ present in some species of animals, most of them invertebrates. In animal anatomy, tentacles usually occur in one or more pairs. Anatomically, the tentacles of animals work main ...

s that prick up like ears. Because of their papillated upper surface, they are easily confused with species from the

'' Thysanozoon'', which are also endowed with dorsal papillae. However Acanthozoon possess only a single male copulative organ contrary to Thysanozoon.

Biology

This

live in warm tropical marine waters. They are

benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from the Ancient Greek word (), meaning "the depths". ...

and

carnivorous A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose nutrition and energy requirements are met by consumption of animal tissues (mainly mu ...

Species list

The following species are recognised in the genus ''Acanthozoon'': *'' Acanthozoon albopapillosum''

Hyman Hyman is the surname of: * Alan Hyman (1910–1999), author and screenwriter * Albert Hyman (1893–1972), co-inventor of the artificial pacemaker * Anthony Hyman (disambiguation), several people * Ben Zion Hyman (1891–1984), Canadian-Jewish ...

, 1959 *'' Acanthozoon albopunctatum'' Prudhoe, 1977 *'' Acanthozoon alderi'' ( Collingwood, 1876) *'' Acanthozoon allmani'' ( Collingwood, 1876) *'' Acanthozoon aranfaibo'' Cuadrado, Moro & Norena, 2017 *'' Acanthozoon armatum'' ( Kelaart, 1858) *'' Acanthozoon auropunctatum'' ( Kelaart, 1858) *'' Acanthozoon boehmigi'' (Stummer-Traunfels, 1895) *'' Acanthozoon fuscobulbosum'' Dixit, Sivaperuman & Raghunathan, 2018 *'' Acanthozoon hispidum'' (Du Bois-Reymond Marcus, 1955) *'' Acanthozoon indicum'' (

Plehn Plehn is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Carl C. Plehn (1867–1945), American economist * Elsbeth Plehn (1922–2001), German operatic contralto and voice teacher * Marianne Plehn Marianne Plehn (30 October 1863 – 18 J ...

, 1896) *'' Acanthozoon lepidum'' (Heath & McGregor, 1912) *'' Acanthozoon maculosum'' (Pearse, 1938) *'' Acanthozoon marginatum'' (

, 1896) *'' Acanthozoon obscurum'' (Stummer-Traunfels, 1895) *'' Acanthozoon ovale'' ( Schmarda, 1859) *'' Acanthozoon papilionis'' ( Kelaart, 1858) *'' Acanthozoon plehni'' (Laidlaw, 1902) *'' Acanthozoon semperi'' (Stummer-Traunfels, 1895)

External links

Discover Life, Acanthozoon
* UBI

Bibliographical references

* Collingwood, 1876, ''On thirty-one species of marine Planarians, collected partly by the late Dr Kelaart F.L.S. at Trincomalee, and partly by D. Collingwood F.L.S. in the Eastern Seas.'', Linnean Society of London, Transactions II, Zoology, vol.1, p 83-98. {{Taxonbar, from=Q2822626 Rhabditophora genera Rhabditophora