Species ID
OC-SP-0002618
Discovered
Phylum
Platyhelminthes
Species ID
OC-SP-0002618
Provisional Species Name
Ceratopera sp_IRLBB_01001
Lowest Valid Taxon Name in WoRMS
Ceratopera
Lowest Known Rank
Genus
Status
Discovered
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Embargo
No
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Platyhelminthes
Order
Rhabdocoela
Family
Trigonostomidae
Genus
Ceratopera
Taxonomic Remarks
Ceratopera sp.1 is distinctive due to its male copulatory organ with a two-plated mantle, a characteristic known in only three other species of Ceratopera—C. flabellifera, C. reisingeri, and C. sellai. The S-shaped mantle plate in Ceratopera sp.1 is comparable only to that of C. sellai, though larger (86 µm vs. 68 µm, respectively). In the other two species, the mantle plate, which does not sheath the stylet, ends in a rounded tip, being arched in C. reisingeri and nearly straight in C. flabellifera. The second, tubular mantle plate is highly similar in Ceratopera sp.1 and C. sellai, both showing a proximal 45° bent and measuring 70 µm and 71 µm, respectively. Conversely, in C. flabellifera, this plate ends in a curved hook, and in C. reisingeri, it is arched and 68 µm long. The bursal appendage morphology clearly distinguishes Ceratopera sp.1 from C. sellai. In the new species, the appendage comprises two distinct chambers: a proximal one (connected to the bursa) with longitudinal striations, and a distal one with zigzag striations. Ceratopera sellai possesses only a single differentiated chamber with longitudinal striations. The appendage is also considerably larger in Ceratopera sp.1 (~73 µm) than in C. sellai (40 µm).
Received All Minimal Data for Discovery
01/04/2026
Description of Material
Species of Ceratopera with male sclerotised organs including a stylet and a two-plated mantle. Tubular stylet ~105 µm long. Mantle S-shaped plate ~86 µm long tapers to a distal sharp tip. Tubular plate 70 µm long, distally rounded. Bursal appendage ~73 µm long, with distal tube 8 µm long and 2 µm wide, splitting into two narrower tubes.
Ecology
Medium-grained and well-sorted sand, 10 m deep, salinity 37 ‰.
Distribution
United States of America, Florida, 6.75 km SE from the mouth of Fort Pierce Inlet, 27.429300; -80.241083.
Scientific Name Authorship
Diez, Yander L.
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