''Cornutella profunda'' is a species of

radiolaria The Radiolaria, also called Radiozoa, are protozoa of diameter 0.1–0.2 mm that produce intricate mineral skeletons, typically with a central capsule dividing the cell (biology), cell into the inner and outer portions of endoplasm and Ecto ...

n in the family

Theoperidae Theoperidae is a family of radiolarians in the order Nassellaria Nassellaria is an order of Rhizaria belonging to the class Radiolaria. The organisms of this order are characterized by a skeleton cross link with a cone or ring. Introduction ...

and the genus '' Cornutella''. The abundance and actual geographic span of ''C. profunda'' has not yet been fully explored, however few have been caught in various regions around the world. Samples have seen in larger numbers in the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...

, the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...

, and far off the coast of Southern Africa near

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

, and in smaller numbers in all other oceans around the world.

Description

''Cornutella profunda'' has been observed possessing a long conical shaped skeleton with holes over the entire body of the skeleton. They possess a single

pseudopod A pseudopod or pseudopodium (plural: pseudopods or pseudopodia) is a temporary arm-like projection of a eukaryotic cell membrane that is emerged in the direction of movement. Filled with cytoplasm, pseudopodia primarily consist of actin filamen ...

which will extend from the tip of the conical structure. Like all species of

n, ''C. profunda'' secretes a

siliceous Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , most commonly found in nature as quartz and in various living organisms. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is one ...

external skeleton and will contribute to the building of

Siliceous ooze Siliceous ooze is a type of biogenic pelagic sediment located on the deep ocean floor. Siliceous oozes are the least common of the deep sea sediments, and make up approximately 15% of the ocean floor. Oozes are defined as sediments which contain a ...

on the ocean floor once it dies. Their bodies are often found beneath this layer of "marine snow" in the sediments of oceans around the globe. They are considered to be Holoplankton and can be found living primarily at depths greater than 300 meters in all oceans, though they can be found at different depths. Due to a lack of research and the fragile nature of radiolarian skeletons, it is unknown what ''C. profunda'' does for food. Some radiolarians are filter feeders, some are hunters using their pseudopodia to capture prey, and some even have symbionts when living in higher waters. It is estimated that radiolarians within the class Polycystina live for approximately 1–2 months.

Potential uses

''Cornutella profunda'', as well as several other radiolarian species, have been observed in a variety of marine environments. Since radiolarians are holoplanktonic, they can easily be moved around by currents that are moving in the water. These, as well as others, could be used to track water masses as they move through the world's oceans.

References

External links

Photos of Cornutella profunda
{{Taxonbar, from=Q62004383 Radiolarian species