Turbellarian taxonomic database

Abstract / Notes

Steinbock, in 1930, found a specimen of a Turbellarian which had an epidermis that greatly resembled that of
a
Nemertean. It contained no pharynx, enteric lumen, gonoducts or gonopores. He named the specimen Nematoderma
bathycola ng. n. sp. and modified Graff's (1905) description of the Order Acoela so as to include his new
genus. Westblad had found over 10 specimens that he considers belong to Steinbock's Nematoderma. Steinbock,
after seeing his serial sections, ratified Westblad's opinion that the latter was dealing with
representations of Nematoderma. Westblad's specimens resembled Steinbock's specimen so far as their
epidermis, central nervous system and statocyst were concerned, but had a pharynx, enteric lumen (which was
lined in its ventral region with an epithelium, and upon its dorsal region with a syncytium), a [male]
gonoduct and a [male] gonopore. He describes the histology of his specimens and considers that Steinbock had
described a young not fully developed specimen. He gives reasons for not referring Nematoderma to the
Acoela.

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