Shoreham Beach;31 - Nemertea;BQDAF0050;MRG920-41;Zygonemertes sp. SMSA067;SMSA067;SP02377;AN021800;NMVF290308;PID0233479
Species ID
OC-SP-0002995
Discovered
Phylum
Nemertea
Species ID
OC-SP-0002995
Provisional Species Name
Zygonemertes sp_SMSA067
Lowest Valid Taxon Name in WoRMS
Zygonemertes
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
Zygonemertidae
Genus
Zygonemertes
Date Identified
28/01/2026
Taxonomic Remarks
There are a number of cryptic nearly colorless species of Zygonemertes that lack post-cerebral ocelli in southeast Australia which are difficult to separate. Zygonemertes sp. SMSA067 can be distinguished from other similar local species (SMSA048, SMSA049, SMSA050, SMSA051, SMSA052, SMSA058) by its large white eggs, and by COI sequence data.
Received All Minimal Data for Discovery
08/04/2026
Description of Material
Body 11 mm long, 0.3 mm wide, threadlike, translucent. Background colour uniform white. Cephalic lobe same width as adjacent body region. No cerebral organ furrows visible. Multiple ocelli (18-20) in 2 rows on each side of head, none posterior to cerebral ganglia. Epidermal sickle-like inclusions present. Posterior tip bluntly pointed. Rhynchocoel length extends to near posterior tip. Stylet basis skirt shaped, with a constriction anterior to the distal end, widest at its distal truncated end. S/B = 0.8, two accessory stylet sacs with 3 stylets in each. The only specimen of this species had a number of large white oocytes visible.
Ecology
Found in Caulerpa brownii in the intertidal zone.
Distribution
Shoreham Beach, Victoria, Australia
Scientific Name Authorship
Maslakova, Svetlana
Shoreham Beach;31 - Nemertea;BQDAF0050;MRG920-41;Zygonemertes sp. SMSA067;SMSA067;SP02377;AN021800;NMVF290308;PID0233479
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