Acorn Worm (Saccoglossus kowalevskii)

Acorn Worm

Creator: Johann Wilhelm Spengel

Licence: Public domain

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Species record

Acorn Worm

Saccoglossus kowalevskii

Explore the Acorn Worm (Saccoglossus kowalevskii) species record in The Ark Is Earth, including classification, habitat, distribution, conservation information, and sources.

Summary

The acorn worm is a burrowing marine hemichordate recorded at an intertidal sandflat in South Carolina. It uses its muscular proboscis to burrow and feeds on organic material in the surface sediment.

Classification in this archive

  1. Kingdom: Animals
  2. Phylum: Hemichordates
  3. Class: Acorn worms
  4. Family: Harrimaniidae
  5. Genus: Saccoglossus
  6. Species: Saccoglossus kowalevskii

Habitat and distribution

Selected documented locations — not a complete species range.

Habitat
intertidal sandflat
Selected regions
North America

Conservation status

Conservation status not recorded.

Did you know?

  • An acorn worm is named for the acorn-shaped front end of its body.
  • Acorn worms are close relatives of chordates, but belong to a separate group called hemichordates.

More images

An anatomical diagram of an acorn worm (*Saccoglossus kowalevskii*), showing its body plan.

Anatomy of the acorn worm (*Saccoglossus kowalevskii*).

Creator: Christopher J. Lowe, Mark Terasaki, Michael Wu, Robert M. Freeman Jr., Linda Runft, Kristen Kwan, Saori Haigo, Jochanan Aronowicz, Eric Lander, Chris Gruber, Mark Smith, Marc Kirschner, and John Gerhart

Licence: CC BY 2.5

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Sources and attribution