Flinders - Mushroom Reef area;31 - Nemertea;BQDAC0050;MRG896-12;Tetrastemma sp. SMSA064;SMSA064;SP03114;AN020444;NMVF290212;PID0188399
Species ID
OC-SP-0002971
Discovered
Phylum
Nemertea
Species ID
OC-SP-0002971
Provisional Species Name
Tetrastemma sp_SMSA064
Lowest Valid Taxon Name in WoRMS
Tetrastemma
Lowest Known Rank
Genus
Status
Discovered
Does the taxonomist(s) intend to work on this material further?
3. I/We are not sure yet. This is of course no problem, we will display your species info (if not embargoed) while you work out your species description plan.
Embargo
No
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Nemertea
Class
Hoplonemertea
Order
Monostilifera
Family
Tetrastemmatidae
Genus
Tetrastemma
Date Identified
23/01/2026
Taxonomic Remarks
The color pattern is superficially similar to that of a local undescribed species Nemertopsis sp. SMSA065, but Tetrastemma sp. SMSA064 is easily distinguished by its much shorter relative length, by having smooth rather than spirally grooved stylets, pear-shaped rather than cylindrical basis, and by COI sequence data. No similar-looking congeners are known locally or globally.
Received All Minimal Data for Discovery
08/04/2026
Description of Material
Body 5.5 mm long, 0.4 mm wide. Background colour white, dorsally with a pair of broad longitudinal reddish-brown stripes separated by a thin mid-dorsal line of a lighter color. The two dorsal stripes are fused anteriorly. Red brown dorsal color extends onto cephalic lobe, but the sides of head are white. The ventral surface is mottled with brown on the body but not the cephalic lobe. Cephalic lobe is wider than the neck, rounded, slightly bilobed, 1.7 times longer than it is wide, separated from body by a neck furrow. Cerebral organ furrows visible ventrally only. Two pairs of ocelli, obscured by dorsal pigmentation of cephalic lobe. Posterior tip bluntly pointed. Stylet basis pear shaped, widest at its distal rounded end, S/B = 0.66. Two accessory stylet sacs with 3 stylets in each.
Ecology
Found in the seagrass Amphibolis antarctica and in coralline algae in the intertidal zone.
Distribution
Mushroom Reef and Point Bunbury, Victoria, Australia
Scientific Name Authorship
Maslakova, Svetlana
Flinders - Mushroom Reef area;31 - Nemertea;BQDAC0050;MRG896-12;Tetrastemma sp. SMSA064;SMSA064;SP03114;AN020444;NMVF290212;PID0188399
Join the census
The Ocean Census Alliance unites national and philanthropic marine institutes, museums, and universities, backed by governments, philanthropy, business and civil society partners.
