Species ID
OC-SP-0002979
Discovered
Phylum
Nemertea
Species ID
OC-SP-0002979
Provisional Species Name
Tetrastemma sp_SMTM012
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
22/07/2025
Taxonomic Remarks
Part of an Indo-West Pacific cryptic species complex of transparent Tetrastemma spp. with pink-tinged proboscis and rounded basis of central stylet (including Tetrastemma sp. SMRS007 from the Red Sea, Tetrastemma sp. SMGM006 and Tetrastemma sp. SMGM020 from Guam, two undescribed species from Australia, a locally co-occurring species, Tetrastemma sp. SMTM011, and another potentially new locally co-occurring species). Notable for having four (instead of the usual two) accessory stylet sacs. COI sequence 8-9% divergent from the nearest congener.
Received All Minimal Data for Discovery
08/04/2026
Description of Material
Body 12-15 mm long, 0.25-0.3 mm wide, translucent, with opaque, pink-tinged anterior proboscis, clearly showing through the body wall; with four small ocelli, distance between the anterior pair and posterior pairs longer than the distance between the two ocelli in each pair. Cerebral organ furrows are oblique and conspicuous – slanted posteriorly from ventral to dorsal, almost encircling the body, forming an anteriorly directed “V” ventrally, and a posteriorly directed “V” dorsally. Neck furrow inconspicuous or absent. Bluntly rounded posterior tip marked by a small opaque white spot. Stylet basis distally rounded, S/B = 0.7. Four accessory stylet sacs with two stylets each.
Ecology
Associated with coral rubble.
Distribution
Only known from Atauro Island, Timor-Leste.
Scientific Name Authorship
Maslakova, Svetlana
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