Kuphus
Genus of bivalves / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Kuphus is a genus of shipworms, marine bivalve molluscs in the family Teredinidae. While there are four extinct species in the genus,[2] the only extant species is Kuphus polythalamius (also incorrectly spelled as Kuphus polythalamia).[3][4] It is the longest bivalve mollusc in the world, where the only known permanent natural habitat is Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat in the Philippines.[5]
Kuphus | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Bivalvia |
Order: | Myida |
Superfamily: | Pholadoidea |
Family: | Teredinidae |
Genus: | Kuphus Guettard, 1770[1] |
Species | |
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Members of this genus secrete calcareous tubes. Based only on the calcareous tube, this species was originally thought by Linnaeus to be a tube worm, so he placed it in the genus Serpula. Despite the fact that Kuphus polythalamius is now known to be a mollusc, its common name is the giant tube worm.[6] Since 1981 however, the name "giant tube worm" has also been applied to the hydrothermal vent species Riftia pachyptila, which is indeed a worm, an annelid.