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Systematics, phylogeny and biogeography
RESEARCH ARTICLE

At the edge of the sea: the supralittoral nemertean, Acteonemertes orientalis sp. nov. (Nemertea: Eumonostilifera: Plectonemertidae) from Japan

Natsumi Hookabe https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3498-8614 A B * , Yuma Fujino C , Naoto Jimi https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8586-3320 D E and Rei Ueshima A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Research Institute for Global Change (RIGC), Japan Agency for Marine–Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokosuka, Kanagawa 237-0061, Japan.

B School of Science, the University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, 113-0033, Japan.

C Tsunai-cho 1-10-11, Tsuruga, Fukui, 914-0056, Japan.

D Sugashima Marine Biological Laboratory, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Toba, 517-0004, Mie, Japan.

E Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Penang, Malaysia.

* Correspondence to: sofeechan312@gmail.com

Handling Editor: Gonzalo Giribet

Invertebrate Systematics 37(6) 444-456 https://doi.org/10.1071/IS22066
Submitted: 8 December 2022  Accepted: 10 May 2023   Published: 16 June 2023

© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing.

Abstract

Ribbon worms (phylum Nemertea) are found in oceans worldwide; however, only a few inhabit terrestrial, semiterrestrial and freshwater environments. In our study, we describe Acteonemertes orientalis sp. nov., a new species of Plectonemertidae Gibson, 1990 and the first plectonemertid discovered in Japan. The species was found in the supralittoral zone, from which nemerteans have rarely been reported and inhabits areas under rocks, wave-dissipating concrete blocks, and fallen leaves and stocks, along the coast of the Sea of Japan. Multi-locus phylogenetic analyses based on two mitochondrial (16S rRNA and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) and two nuclear gene markers (18S rRNA and 28S rRNA) revealed that A. orientalis sp. nov. formed a clade with Leptonemertes cf. chalicophora collected from Florida. Although the external and internal morphology of A. orientalis sp. nov. is largely consistent with the generic diagnosis, this species differs in having a large proboscis. Based on the molecular and morphological data, we propose to amend the diagnosis of Acteonemertes by excluding proboscis size.

ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:BBBE9549-5DCE-424F-9A39-930F8243C28B

Keywords: anatomy, Nemertea, phylogeny, species description, systematics, taxonomy, terrestrial, terrestrialisation.


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