BIOLOGIYA MORYA, 2010, Vol. 36, No. 1, pp. 3-16

Reproduction and development of common species of peanut worms (Sipuncula) from the Sea of Japan

© 2010 A. V. Adrianov, A. S. Maiorova

Zhirmunsky Institute of Marine Biology, Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok 690041

E-mail:

This study deals with the reproduction and development of the most common species of peanut worms from the Sea of Japan: Thysanocardia nigra, Themiste pyroides, and Phascolosoma agassizii. Data on the time of reproduction and larval settlement and the distribution of these species in Peter the Great Bay are provided. The peculiarities of gametogenesis, spawning, and embryonic, larval and postlarval development are described. Reproductive biology of representatives of these species from the western and eastern Pacific is examined in comparative aspect.

Key words: peanut worms, sipunculans, trochophore, pelagosphere, tentacular apparatus.