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Glite Dictionary
sipunculid

sipunculid

9.9
A small sea worm that pulls its front end into its body and looks like a peanut
  • noun
  • /sɪˈpʌŋkjəlɪd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : sipuncúlido
  • After observing the sipunculid, the students were amazed at how it resembled a peanut when it was disturbed.

Examples

  • The aquarium featured a sipunculid that curled up when approached, demonstrating its unique defensive behavior.

  • The marine biologist studied a sipunculid worm, fascinated by its ability to retract into its body.

  • In the first, a specialist on sipunculid worms was asked for copies of his publications by an Alaskan cod fisherman.

    Academic text (1996)

Synonyms

peanut worm
vssipunculid
  • Specialized
9.9

A small sea worm that pulls its front part into its body and looks like a peanut

is the formal scientific name for the same animal

Surface Forms

sipunculid singular
sipunculids plural

Morphology

sipunculid = Sipuncula (semi-transparent) = sipuncul + id

Formed by adding the taxonomic suffix '-id' to the phylum name 'Sipuncula'; the morphological relation is regular in scientific naming but is specialized and not obvious to general learners.

Etymology

Sipunculid comes from the group name Sipuncula, often called 'peanut worms' because they look like a peanut when they pull their front part back into their body. That's why the name points to a small marine worm that can hide its head and look like a peanut.