Stylochus zebra
| Stylochus zebra | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Platyhelminthes |
| Order: | Polycladida |
| Suborder: | Acotylea |
| Family: | Stylochidae |
| Genus: | Stylochus |
| Species: | S. zebra |
| Binomial name | |
| Stylochus zebra (Verrill, 1882) | |
Stylochus zebra is a species of polyclad flatworm in the family Stylochidae[1] known for often living in shells with hermit crabs.[2]
Description
[edit]Stylochus zebra has an oblong or oblong-elliptical form that is rounded on both ends. The flatworm can reach up to about 40 mm long and 12 mm wide. The pseudotentacles on the head are short and round. The most distinguishable feature of S. zebra is the alternating brown and white banding pattern similar to the striped mammal zebras, hence the name. At both ends of the body, the stripes come to a V-shape.[3]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]Stylochus zebra is found from Cape Cod, Massachusetts[3][4] to Florida along the western coast of the Atlantic Ocean and in the Gulf of Mexico.[1][5] Within the flatworm's range, they are often found living in the shell of hermit crabs. However, they may be found free-living around rocky substrates and dock pilings[2] or alone in empty shells[3].
Ecology
[edit]Stylochus zebra is often found living in gastropod shells alongside hermit crabs. The flatworm does have preferences for what hermit crabs it decides to live with. Within its northern range, S. zebra seems to prefer living with Pagurus pollicaris while it is more often found living with Pagurus longicarpus in its southern range. Some of the other species of hermit crabs it has been known to live with include Pagurus impressus and Petrochirus diogenes. Within the wild, the relationship between the flatworm and the hermit crab seems to be commensalistic.[6]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Stylochus zebra (Verrill, 1882)". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2026-08-26.
- 1 2 Smith, Ralph I (1964). Keys to marine invertebrates of the Woods Hole region : a manual for the identification of the more common marine invertebrates. Woods Hole, Massachusetts: Systematics-Ecology Program, Marine Biological Laboratory. p. 38.
- 1 2 3 Hyman, LH (1940). "The polyclad flatworms of the Atlantic coast of the United States and Canada". Proceedings of the United States National Museum. 89 (3101): 462.
- ↑ HYMAN, LIBBIE H. (April 1939). "Some polyclads of the new england coast, especially of the woods hole region". The Biological Bulletin. 76 (2). The University of Chicago Press: 127–152. Bibcode:1939BiolB..76..127H. doi:10.2307/1537854. JSTOR 1537854.
- ↑ Meinkoth, Norman August; National Audubon Society, eds. (1990). The Audubon Society field guide to North American seashore creatures. The Audubon Society field guide series (4. print ed.). New York: Knopf. ISBN 978-0-394-51993-7.
- ↑ Lytwyn, M. W.; McDermott, J. J. (1976-12-01). "Incidence, reproduction and feeding of Stylochus zebra, a polyclad turbellarian symbiont of hermit crabs". Marine Biology. 38 (4): 365–372. Bibcode:1976MarBi..38..365L. doi:10.1007/BF00391376. ISSN 1432-1793.
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