Flaccisagitta enflata
Grassi (1881)
Download a fact sheet for Flaccisagitta enflata (826KB)
Taxonomy
| Phylum | Chaetognatha |
| Class | Sagittoidea |
| Order | Aphragmophora |
| Family | Sagittidae |
| Genus | Flaccisagitta |
| Species | enflata |
Size
- Maximum adult body length 25 mm, tail 14-17% of length
Distinguishing characteristics
- Limp, flaccid body
- Hooks: 8-10
- Anterior teeth: 4-10
- Posterior teeth: 4-15
- Body flaccid, transparent, widest around mid length
- Transverse musculature absent
- Medium width head
- Hooks not serrated
- Fin bridge absent
- Ventral ganglion midway between head and anterior fins
- Anterior and posterior fins short, partially rayed, round. Anterior fins separate to posterior fins
- Collarette absent
- Gut diverticula absent
- Small eyes, with star-shaped pigment spot
- Seminal vesicles round and touching tail fin, well separated from posterior fins
- Ovaries short, reaching to middle of posterior fins; ova large
- Adhesive papillae and adhesive organs absent
- Apical glands absent
Distribution
- Epipelagic
- Circumglobal, between 40°N to 40°S
Ecology
References
- Conway, D. V. P., White, R.G., Hugues-Dit-Ciles, J., Gallienne, C.P. and Robins, D.B. (2003). Guide to the coastal and surface zooplankton of the south-western Indian Ocean, Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom
- Marine species identification portal, http://species-identification.org/index.php