Animalia: Sipuncula: Phascolosomatidea: Phascolosomatida: Phascolosomatidae: Phascolosoma agassizii (Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville, 1827)

Peanut worms, also known as Sipunculids are marine worms in that typically dwell in shallow waters. Sipuncula means “little tube” or “siphon” in Latin and refers to the introvert of peanut worms, a long sensitive tube ringed with tentacles which they can extend to collect food. Since peanut worms have soft bodies, they usually burrow in mud, hide in crevices or shells, or even burrow into rocks to keep themselves protected. The introvert lets them hide their bodies while safely and comfortably searching around for food. Peanut worms are not very picky eaters, some species burrow in sand and eat whatever detritus they find, some are carnivorous, and some are specialized filter feeders straining food from the water around them. Peanut worms were once so plentiful that locals in Singapore used to feed them to ducks, however, like many species in the intertidal zone; they are threatened due to human encroachment in their habitats. There are 757 peanut worms with barcodes on BOLD. #Canada150 #Biodiversity150

Here’s the barcode sequence information for this species:

Process ID: CAISN183-12

nucleotide sequence

ACCTTATATTTTATCCTCGGCATTTGATCTGGTCTTATAGGCACTTCCATAAGACTATTAATTCGAGCAGAACTAGGGCAACCTGGATCCCTACTGGGGAGG——GACCAACTCTATAATGTCATCGTTACAGCCCATGCGTTTTTAATAATTTTCTTCCTTGTAATACCAGTATTAATTGGAGGCTTCGGAAACTGGTTAATCCCCCTAATGATTGGAGCTCCTGATATGGCCTTTCCTCGGCTCAATAACCTCAGATTTTGACTTTTGCCTCCGGCCCTCTGCCTTCTCTTAGCATCTAGAGCCATCGAAAAGGGGGTCGGAACAGGATGAACAGTGTACCCCCCTCTTTCTGGTGCACTA—GCTCATGCTGGCGCATCTGTAGACCTTGCTATTTTTTCTCTTCACCTTGCAGGTGTAAGCTCTATTCTAGGTGCGCTGAACTTTATCTCTACTGTAACTAACATACGCCCTAGAATACTCTCA—TGAGAGCGAACCCCTCTTTTTGTTTGAGCAGCCTTTATTACAGTAGTCCTTCTTCTCCTTGCGCTTCCTGTATTAGCAGGTGCAATTACTATGCTGCTGACTGACCGCAATGTAAATACTGCCTTCTTCGACCCGGGAGGAGGAGGCGACCCCATTTTATTTAGACACTTATTC

amino acid sequence

TLYFILGIWSGLMGTSMSLLIRAELGQPGSLLGS–DQLYNVIVTAHAFLMIFFLVMPVLIGGFGNWLIPLMIGAPDMAFPRLNNLSFWLLPPALCLLLASSAIEKGVGTGWTVYPPLSGAL-AHAGASVDLAIFSLHLAGVSSILGALNFISTVTNMRPSMLS-WERTPLFVWAAFITVVLLLLALPVLAGAITMLLTDRNVNTAFFDPGGGGDPILFSHLF

Learn more about it’s BIN (Barcode Index Number): BOLD:AAZ9881