Tuscaridium Explained

Tuscaridium is a genus of phaeodarian, (formerly thought to be radiolarians). They consume particles that sink quickly through water which would otherwise reach the deep ocean. Tuscaridiums make cellular colonies (they make a colony like a pyrosome).^{[1] [2] [3]} The genus contains bioluminescent species.^{[4] [5]} It one of two known bioluminescent phaeodarean genera, the other being Aulosphaera.

Species

The following species are known (incomplete list):^{[2] [3]}

• Tuscaridium cygneum
• Tuscaridium cygenum
• Tuscaridium lithornithium

Notes and References

1. Book: Nakamura . Yasuhide . Noritoshi . Suzuki . Phaeodaria: Diverse Marine Cercozoans of World-Wide Distribution . 2015 . Springer Japan . Tokyo . 978-4-431-55130-0 . 223–249 . 10.1007/978-4-431-55130-0_9 .
2. Web site: Beittenmiller . Kate . Characterizing the Geometry of Phaeodarian Colonial Spheres . MBARI . 30 March 2019.
3. Web site: Tuscaridium . WoRMS.
4. Ling . Hsin Yi . Haddock . Steven H.D. . The enclosing latticed sphere of Tuscaridium cygneum (Murray), a eurybathyal phaeodarian Radiolaria, from the North Pacific . Paleontological Research . 1 . 2 . 144–149 .
5. Web site: Haddock . Steven H.D. . Tuscaridium cygneum . The Bioluminescence Web Page . 30 March 2019.