CLASSIFICATION OF SACCULINA
PHYLUM :- ARTHROPODA (Jointed appendages.)
CLASS :- CRUSTACEA (Thick exoskeleton, antennae 2 pairs)
SUB-CLASS :- CIRRIPEDIA (Sessile adults without compound eyes and antennae, with carapace and mandibular palps and with 6 pairs of biramous thoracic limbs)
ORDER :- RHIZOCEPHALA (Parasitic Cirripedia on decapod Crustacea.)
GENUS :- Sacculina (The root-headed barnacle)
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION
It has cosmopolitan distribution.
HABIT AND HABITAT
Sacculina is a very interesting animal as it shows extreme case of degeneration or specialization due to parasitism and also it causes castration in its host.
GENERAL CHARACTERSTICS OF SACCULINA
- Commonly called as root-headed barnacle.
- Parasitizes crabs. Zoologists were able to discover its real crustacean nature by studying its embryology having first stage nauplius larva.
- Adult loses all arthropodan characters and appears like a fleshy tumour attached to the abdomen of the crab on ventral side and lead a parasitic life on decapod crustaceans.
- Sacculina through peduncle sends root like processes like mycelium of fungus in each appendages of the crab and in the body to derive nutrition.
- Appendages, segmentation, mouth, anus, alimentation absent.
- Hermaphroditic.
- Presence of Sacculina causes development of many changes in secondary sexual characters of the host.
SPECIAL FEATURES
The nauplius larva resembles that of other crustaceans but without alimentation. Nauplius is free swimming and changes to next larval stage called Cypris larva. It attaches itself on decapod crab and then discards its shell and burrows into the host’s body. It becomes a mere mass of cells that passes in the crab’s blood stream, attaches to host’s intestine and grows. When the crab molts, part of parasite protrudes in the abdomen’ as an ovary packed with egg. The remaining part of Sacculina becomes branched ramifying throughout the host’s body and absorbing nourishment. The host neither grows nor breeds because its sex organs degenerate due to crab. This is called as parasitic castration.
IDENTIFICATION
The animal contains round mass of cells and all above characters hence it is Sacculina.
OUR POSTS
WHALE (BALAENOPTERA)WHALE (BALAENOPTERA) CLASSIFICATION OF WHALE (BALAENOPTERA) PHYLUM :- CHORDATA (Notochord, dorsal tubular nerve cord present and gill slits present) Group :- CRANIATA (Definite head. Cranium with ...READ MORE
HEDGEHOG (ERINACEUS)HEDGEHOG (ERINACEUS) CLASSIFICATION OF ERINACEUS : HEDGEHOG PHYLUM :- CHORDATA (Notochord, dorsal tubular nerve cord present and gill slits present) Group :- CRANIATA (Definite head. Cranium with ...READ MORE
ZEBRAZEBRA CLASSIFICATION OF ZEBRA PHYLUM :- CHORDATA (Notochord, dorsal tubular nerve cord present and gill slits present ) Group :- CRANIATA ( Definite head. Cranium with brain present ) ...READ MORE
MANGOOSE : HERPESTESMANGOOSE : HERPESTES CLASSIFICATION OF MANGOOSE : HERPESTES PHYLUM :- CHORDATA (Notochord, dorsal tubular nerve cord present and gill slits present) Group :- CRANIATA (Definite head. Cranium with ...READ MORE
WHY ELEPHANTS NEVER FORGETS ?WHY ELEPHANTS NEVER FORGETS ? It’s a not unexpected saying that elephants always remember, and that is why these great creatures are more than just monster strolling on our planet earth. The ...READ MORE
SEAL : PHOCASEAL : PHOCA CLASSIFICATION OF SEAL (PHOCA) PHYLUM :- CHORDATA (Notochord, dorsal tubular nerve cord present and gill slits present) Group :- CRANIATA (Definite head. Cranium with brain present) ...READ MORE
HERDMANIA SLIDESHERDMANIA SLIDES Herdmania : Metamorphosis : Tadpole Larva Larva of Herdmania is called as tadpole larva. After hatching it leads a free-swimming life for 90-180 seconds and then undergoes ...READ MORE
AMMOCOETE LARVACYCLOSTOMATA SLIDES Lamprey : Ammocoete : Larva Whole Mount COMMENTS :- It is one of the stages in the development of lamprey. Egg develops into ammocoete larva, which is a tiny transparent creature ...READ MORE
VERTEBRAL COLUMNVertebral Column Notochord In all chordate embryos, the first axial endoskeleton to appear is a slender, stiff, unsegmented, gelatinous rod, the notochord. It is present below the nerve cord and ...READ MORE
SKULL BONESSKULL BONES SCOLIODON : SKULL BONES Skull consists of :- (A) Cranium and sense capsules, (B) Visceral skeleton. 1. Cranium and sense capsules Made up of a single piece of cartilage and divisible ...READ MORE
