Nemertoderma bathycola Steinbock O 1930 (citation)- Type Definition: Steinbock O 1930 (citation) p 80. History and synonyms: Steinbock O 1930 (citation) p 47-80. Details confusion with Rhnchocoels. Westblad E 1937 (citation)- More specimens- long description of histology, etc.- also whether it is primitive or not- concludes it is not an acoel though many characters are primitive. Geographic distribution: Greenland, Diskobay, North Sea, Skagerrak, Mediterranean, Adriatic. Specimens: Swedish Museum of Natural History, Dorjes J, Karling TG 1975 (citation) Steinbock O 1932 (citation)- in check list p 297 and table p 335- only in Arctic he reports. Bresslau E 1933 (citation)- p 263 fig 257- brain lies next to epithelium outside the outer layer of muscle - length at least 0.26 mm x 0.1 mm. Colorless, from Diskobay, Greenland- dredged at 250(-300) meters. An der Lan H 1936 (citation)- mentions nervous system. Meixner J 1938 (citation)- p 100, fig 87. "Nemertoderma sp = ?bathycola Steinbock (Nemertodermatidae)- Long section reconstruction. A-(young) animal in female reproductive phase, B-(old) animal in completely developed male organs. Body plan Acoela-like, but with a gut system definitely marked off from parenchyma and with a lumen. Granular glands only in ventral gut epithelium while the very thick dorsal epithelium takes care of digestion and absorption [and surrounds] some reproductive products especially the egg cells. This epithelium can be [?] out through the mouth by contraction of outer body muscles so as to pick up small bits of nourishment. Outside epithelium very thick, syncytical, with many often multicellular muscous glands and single celled serous glands, a frontal organ with glands of a similar [?], nervous system at base of the epithelium. "Orthogonal" net like with one pair of ganglia behind the statocyst which is suspended by 5(6) pairs of dorsal, ventral, and lateral muscles surrounded by a thin web of nerves and [?] joined to the ganglia by a pair of lateral nerves; gonads (with thin parenchymal tunic) embeded in the dorsal gut epithelium (nutritive!), testes paired, their large tubes opening out the [?]- ovary unpaired (?)(earlier paired?) egg zone in B well developed. Sperm go out from the testes through many openings through the parenchyma into the seminal vesicle lying here and [?] themselves with the [?] of the granular gland, a ductus ejaculat - a ciliated tube to the outside with mucous glands at the base - without a vagina and without bursa. Milky white A to 0.75 mm and B to 0.52mm long, on loam or mud buttoms to 30 m (Scandinavia) or to 25 m deep (Greenland)." Westblad E 1942 (citation)- Statocyst muscles in. Westblad E 1948 (citation)- statocyst muscles in. Hyman LH 1951 (citation) -vol 2, p 83 and illustration p 86- illustration of entire animal- long section to show portion of nervous system next to epidermis and other organs. p 132 notes at 1st dredged off Greenland - later found in numbers off Scandinavian coast. Riedl RJ 1960 (citation)- Ax 1961 (citation)- diagram of nervous system in. sagital section of. Ax P 1963 (citation)- says has epithelial nervous system- also more than 1 statolith & other structures. Hadzi J 1963 (citation)-p 197. [Bush L- notes that her slides show this species collected in Buzzards Bay at Howie Sanders Station G, Jan 6, 1966 (also once by dredging in Vinyard Sound).] Sterrer W 1966 (citation)- notes description of this species by Steinbock. Steinbock O 1966 (citation)- p 106, 154, on form westbladi p 154. Dorjes J 1968 (citation)- p 92 notes this is type. Lists four forms of this species: Groenlandform Steinbock 1930 (N. bathycola Steinbock 1930) Nordseeform Westblad 1937, Riedl 1959 (N. wesbladi Steinbock 1938) Skagerrakform Riedl 1959 Adriaform Riedl 1959 One forma has 3 statoliths. p 217-218 short discussion. Beklemischev VN 1969 (citation)- vol II, p 35- illustration of epithelium. p 190 illustration of pharynx and other systems. p 395 notes copulatory cirrus is simple inpocketing of skin. p 398 illustration. Apelt G 1969 (citation)- p 268 notes Westblad (1937) says protogyny here. Dorjes J, Karling TG 1975 (citation)- North Atlantic. Swedish Museum of Natural History. Hendelberg J 1977 (citation)- electron microscopy and light microscopy.
Lundin K 1997 (citation)- "ultrastructure of the epidermal ciliary rootlets and associated structures in species of the Nemertodermatida and Acoela". Species used: Meara stichopi, Nemertoderma westbladi, Nemertoderma cf. bathycola, Convolutriloba retrogemma, Childia groenlandica, Paraphanostoma submaculatum, Haploposthia virdis.
Return to Nemertoderma bathycola