Family GOLFINGIIDAE

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Introduction

After Edmonds (2000)
Golfingiids are small to medium-sized sipunculans, with the trunk ranging from 5-100 mm long (few species exceed 30 mm), and the introvert length variable. Tentacles are always placed peripherally, encircling the mouth, but are never borne on stem-like extensions of the oral disc as in Themistidae. The size and number of tentacles may be different in different genera. Spines on the introvert may be present or absent. The longitudinal and circular musculature of the trunk is continuous. Two nephridia are always present. Golfingia, described by Lankester (1885), is the type genus of the family.

Since the comprehensive paper on Australian sipunculans produced by Edmonds (1980), the family has undergone considerable revision. Gibbs & Cutler (1987) made several major changes: (1) the genera Phascolion and Themiste, were each raised to family status, Phascolionidae and Themistidae respectively; and (2) each of the subgenera Thysanocardia and Nephasoma in Golfingiidae was raised to the level of genus. Gibbs & Cutler (1987) reported that Golfingiidae comprises three genera, Golfingia, Nephesoma and Thysanocardia.

Members of this family are commonly found in cold water and as infauna in fine sands or mixtures of sand, silt and clay. Several golfingiids are known from southern Australia: Golfingia margaritacea margaritacea, Golfingia vulgaris herdmani and Nephasoma schuettei being the most common. They live in sand, silt and the debris associated with the roots of marine angiosperm plants such as seagrass species of Posidonia, Zostera and Amphibolis. Sometimes they are dredged.

In Nephasoma, the tentacles may be reduced in number and size. In Thysanocardia, the tentacular crown is complex; a ring of peripheral tentacles surrounds the mouth, but in addition, the nuchal organ is enclosed by an arc of nuchal tentacles. The peripheral tentacles are arranged in paired rows, with extra tentacles arising posteriorly so as to form U-shaped festoons. In Golfingia, there are four muscle retractors, but in Nephasoma and Thysanocardia there are only two. The contractile vessel is simple in Golfingia and Nephasoma, but in Thysanocardia well-developed villi are present. Hooks or spines may be present in Golfingia and Nephasoma, but are absent in Thysanocardia.

General References

Cutler, E.B. 1994. The Sipuncula, their Systematics, Biology, and Evolution. New York : Cornell University Press 480 pp.

Cutler, E.B. & Cutler, N.J. 1987. Revision of the genus Golfingia (Sipuncula: Golfingiidae). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 100: 735-761

Edmonds, S.J. 1980. A review of the systematics of Australian sipunculans (Sipuncula). Records of the South Australian Museum (Adelaide) 18: 1-74

Edmonds, S.J. 2000. Phylum Sipuncula. pp. 375-400 in Beesley, P.L., Ross, G.J.B. & Glasby, C.J. (eds). Polychaetes & Allies: The Southern Synthesis. Fauna of Australia Vol. 4A Polychaeta, Myzostomida, Pogonophora, Echiura, Sipuncula. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing Vol. 4 Part A xii 1-465 pp.

Gibbs, P.E. & Cutler, E.B. 1987. A classification of the phylum Sipuncula. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) 52: 43-58

Lankester, E.R. 1885. Golfingia macintoshi, a new sipunculid from the coast of Scotland. Transactions of the Linnean Society of London 2nd Series Zoology 2(XIX): 469-474

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