Tomopteris
Encyclopedia
Tomopteris is a genus of marine plankton
ic polychaete
. If disturbed, some species are known to make a flurry of glowing sparks erupt from their parapodia. One species, Tomopteris nisseni, is one of the few marine creatures with yellow bioluminescence
.
Plankton
Plankton are any drifting organisms that inhabit the pelagic zone of oceans, seas, or bodies of fresh water. That is, plankton are defined by their ecological niche rather than phylogenetic or taxonomic classification...
ic polychaete
Polychaete
The Polychaeta or polychaetes are a class of annelid worms, generally marine. Each body segment has a pair of fleshy protrusions called parapodia that bear many bristles, called chaetae, which are made of chitin. Indeed, polychaetes are sometimes referred to as bristle worms. More than 10,000...
. If disturbed, some species are known to make a flurry of glowing sparks erupt from their parapodia. One species, Tomopteris nisseni, is one of the few marine creatures with yellow bioluminescence
Bioluminescence
Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by a living organism. Its name is a hybrid word, originating from the Greek bios for "living" and the Latin lumen "light". Bioluminescence is a naturally occurring form of chemiluminescence where energy is released by a chemical reaction in...
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