Species ID
OC-SP-0002647
Discovered
Phylum
Platyhelminthes
Species ID
OC-SP-0002647
Provisional Species Name
Schizorhynchidae sp_IRLBB_01200
Lowest Valid Taxon Name in WoRMS
Schizorhynchidae
Lowest Known Rank
Family
Status
Discovered
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Embargo
No
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Platyhelminthes
Order
Rhabdocoela
Family
Schizorhynchidae
Taxonomic Remarks
The considerations discussed above regarding the classification of Schizorhynchidae sp.1 are also applicable to the family-level placement of Schizorhynchidae sp.2. This new species is likewise distinctive, owing to a unique combination of characters, including a pharynx situated in the anterior third of the body, a proboscis with asymmetric lips, and testes positioned posterior to the pharynx. The atrial organs, however, do not differ substantially from those of many other members of Schizorhynchidae: the male copulatory bulb comprises a cirrus surrounded by a cap, and the female reproductive system includes a bursa that opens externally through the common genital pore and is internally connected to the ovary via a spermatic duct. At present, assignment of this species to an existing genus is not possible, as the asymmetric proboscis lips and the posterior position of the testes represent a combination of characters unique within Schizorhynchidae.
Received All Minimal Data for Discovery
01/04/2026
Description of Material
Species of Schizorhynchidae with the pharynx located in the anterior body third. Proboscis without a pair of posterior glands sheathed by muscles. Proboscis lips asymmetric. A pair of eyes posterior to the proboscis. A pair of testes posterior to the pharynx; testes located at the body sides. Atrial organs located in the posterior third of the body. The male bulb receives the seminal vesicles and encompasses the prostate vesicle, a spiny cirrus, and ends in a sclerotised cap. The cap is 29–31 µm long (x¯ = 30 µm; n = 2) and the spines of the cirrus are 3–4 µm long. The female system includes an ovary and a bursa, which opens to the outside through the common genital pore and internally connect to the ovary via a spermatic duct
Ecology
Shell hash, well-sorted, 1 m deep, salinity 37 ‰.
Distribution
United States of America, Florida, Jupiter, Dubois Park, 26.942900; -80.073280.
Scientific Name Authorship
Diez, Yander L.
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