(Quatrefages, 1846)

Description:
This is an inadequately described species. Up to about 20 mm long and 0.6-0.8 mm wide. The head is typically oval in shape, flattened and wider than the adjacent body regions, with two pairs of cephalic furrows. The general body colour is dull whitish, salmon, pink, pale orange or, less frequently, a rich apricot yellow. The intestinal region occasionally appears pale green. On either side of the head a dark brown longitudinal pigment streak, characteristic for the species, extends between the anterior and the posterior eyes (T. vermiculus-detail). The streaks may be of uniform width or be broader near the front. A single mid-dorsal whitish stripe is sometimes present, commencing between the posterior pair of eyes. This stripe may be quite short or extends some distance down the body, although it is not always evident.
Tetrastemma vermicularis appears to have a prolonged reproductive period, as ripe individuals have been found from late autumn through to early summer.

Habitat:
Often locally quite abundant, this lively and restless species is found on the lower shore and sublittorally to depths of about 40 m. Occurs under rocks and stones, on small algae or bryozoans, or in laminarian holdfasts.

Distribution:
Extends from the British Isles to Scandinavia, the Mediterranean, Madeira, and the eastern coast of North America from the Bay of Fundy southwards to the Gulf of Mexico.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Nermertina
Class Enopla
Order Hoplonemertea
Suborder Monostilifera
Family Emplectonematidae
Genus Tetrastemma
Species Tetrastemma vermiculus

Status in World Register of Marine Species

Accepted name: Tetrastemma vermiculus (Quatrefages, 1846)

Scientific synonyms and common names

Polia vermiculus Quatrefages, 1846
Tetrastemma vermiculus McIntosh, 1869
Tetrastemma vermicula McIntosh, 1873-74
Tetrastemma vermiculatum Riches, 1893
Prostoma vermiculus Southern, 1908
Prostomatella vermicula Moore, 1973

Gibson, R. & E.W. Knight-Jones, 1990. Platyhelminthes, nematoda, and nemertea. In: P.J. Hayward & J.S. Ryland (eds), The Marine Fauna of the British Isles and North-West Europe. Vol. 1, Introduction and Protozoans to Arthropods. Clarendon Press, Oxford, 181-200.

Gibson, R., 1982. British Nemerteans. Synopses of the British Fauna (NS), 24.

McIntosh, W.C., 1873-74. A monograph of the British annelids, Part I. The nemerteans. Ray Society, London.

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