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Bursovaginoidea
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Gnathostomulida
Order:	Bursovaginoidea
Suborders
Conophoralia Scleroperalia Also see text

Bursovaginoidea is one of the two orders in the phylum Gnathostomulida.

Appearance and anatomy

Bursovaginoids are rather small, ranging from a half of a millimeter to a full millimeter in length. Many species in the order Bursovaginoidea have a narrow neck, making their head stand out more than other bursovagionoids and all filospermoids.

Bursovaginoids, unlike filospermoids, have paired sensory organs and a penis. Also, all species in Bursovaginoidea have a sperm-storage organ called a bursa. In suborder Scleroperalia, the bursa is cuticular, while in Conophoralia it is not. Species in order Conophoralia tend to have larger sperm than those in Sceloperalia.

Distribution

Sightings of bursovaginoids have been reported in various parts of the world, including England and the north-western and south-eastern parts of the United States. Bursovaginoids mostly live in oceans near the coasts, in depths of under 500 meters (1650 feet), most commonly around 300.

Families

The order Bursovaginoidea contains 73 - 75 species and 24 genera in the following 10 families:

• Suborder Conophoralia
  • Austrognathiidae (27 species in 4 genera)
• Suborder Scleroperalia
  • Agnathiellidae (3 species in 2 genera)
  • Clausognathiidae (1 species in 1 genus)
  • Gnathostomariidae (1 species in 1 genus)
  • Gnathostomulidae (23 - 25 species in 5 genera)
  • Mesognathariidae (6 species in 3 genera)
  • Onychognathiidae (9 species in 5 genera)
  • Paucidentulidae (1 species in 1 genus)
  • Problognathiidae (1 species in 1 genus)
  • Rastrognathiidae (1 species in 1 genus)

References

1. "Order Summary for Bursovaginoidea". Sea Life Base. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
2. ^ Light, Sol Felty (2007). The Light and Smith Manual: Intertidal Invertebrates from Central California to Oregon. University of California Press. p. 276. ISBN 978-0520239395. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
3. Barnes, Robert D. (1982). Invertebrate Zoology. Philadelphia, PA: Holt-Saunders International. pp. 311–312. ISBN 0-03-056747-5.
4. Barnes, R.F.K. et al. (2001). The Invertebrates: A Synthesis. Oxford: Blackwell Science.
5. "Bursovaginoidea". Ocean Biogeographic Information System. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
6. Sterrer, W. (2006). "Bursovaginoidea". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
7. Integrated Taxonomic Information System. "ITIS Standard Report Page: Bursovaginoidea". www.itis.gov. Retrieved 29 January 2018.

• Gnathostomulida