Paranemertes Peregrina Class: Enopla Order: Hoplonemertea, Monostylifera "The Wanderer" Family: Emplectomenatidae

Phylum: Nemertea Paranemertes peregrina Class: Enopla Order: Hoplonemertea, Monostylifera "The wanderer" Family: Emplectomenatidae

Taxonomy: Coe (1905) found two Proboscis: Eversible (phylum Nemertea) morphotypes within Paranemertes peregrina and, when not everted, coiled inside (var. alaskensis, var. californiensis) that rhynchocoel (cavity). Rhynchocoel half to differed in size, color and stylet morphology three-quarters body length (genus (Roe et al. 2007). Whether these Paranemertes). Proboscis whitish with one morphotypes represent two difference (suborder Monostilifera) short, stylet (order species or intraspecific divergence is currently Hoplonemertea) of lengths 85–90 µm (Coe unknown. 1905; Stricker and Cloney 1981). Stylet sculpture is variable and is either with (var. Description californiensis) (Fig. 4) or without spiral Size: Individuals vary in size from 2–40 cm grooves (var. alaskensis) (Roe et al. 2007). with average size range 15–25 cm (Coe Two (var. californiensis) to four (var. 1901; Roe et al. 2007). Northern specimens alaskensis) pouches of accessory stylets are (var. alaskensis, 40 cm) larger than southern present, each pouch with 6–10 stylets (Fig. 3) ones (var. californiensis, 10 cm) (Coe 1905). (Roe et al. 2007). Proboscis eversion can be Color: Dark dorsally, purple or olive green induced with fresh water or dilute acetic acid with head brown. Lighter ventrally, white or (Haderlie 1980). pale yellow with mid-ventral section sometimes lighter than the rest. No lines or Possible Misidentifications other patterns, except V-shape behind head. There are five genera of the family General Morphology: Long and slender Emplectonematidae on the Pacific coast, all Body: Elongate, contractile and non- of which have a short proboscis, numerous segmented (phylum Nemertea). Body soft but ocelli and a long, slender body. They are muscular and can lengthen and shorten easily each easily differentiable from the genus (Kozloff 1974). Paranemertes: Carcinonemertes is parasitic Anterior: Head usually truncate, a on crabs; Emplectonema is very slender with little larger than body immediately 12–14 eyes in each of two rows; Nemertopsis posterior (Coe 1901). No cephalic and Dichonemertes have only four ocelli (Coe grooves. A distinct narrow v-shaped 1940). marking just back of the head, but Of the five known Pacific species of sometimes quite faint. A pair of white Paranemertes, none is as common as P. transverse lines are apparent on the peregrina. Paranemertes pallida has been lateral anterior-most margins (Fig. 2) found only in Alaska (Coe 1901). (Kozloff 1974). Paranemertes carnea, with six accessory Posterior: No caudal cirrus. stylet pouches, is whitish, pink, or flesh- Eyes/Eyespots: Two groups on each side of colored, and is reported only from Alaska to head consist of 5–12 minute ocelli. The first Puget Sound (Coe 1901). Paranemertes group is anterior and arranged along the californica is pale gray or orange anteriorly antero-lateral margins and the second is and gray or salmon posteriorly, where exterior irregular and near the brain (Fig. 2) (Coe pigmentation is often obscured by its green 1901). digestive tract, and has not been found north Mouth: In front of brain and united with of Monterey Bay (Coe 1904). Paranemertes proboscis pore (suborder Monostilifera). sanjuanensis is beige in color with five stylet

A publication of the University of Oregon Libraries and the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology Individual species: http://hdl.handle.net/1794/12650 and full 3rd edition: http://hdl.handle.net/1794/18839 Email corrections to: [email protected] pouches having two to three stylets each Longevity: 1.5 to 1.75 years where adults (Stricker 1982). Stylets are spiraled as in P. may spawn three times (Roe 1976; Haderlie peregrina with which it co-occurs. Range San 1980). Juan Island, WA to Bodega Bay, CA (Roe et Growth Rate: al. 2007).Ecological Information Food: Diet consists almost entirely of nereid Range: Bering Sea, AK to southern worms. Although individuals will occasionally California where it is widely distributed in eat the polychaete Polydora sp. many habitats. Paranemertes peregrina eats Nereis vexillosa Local Distribution: Coos Bay sites include and appears to prefer the small, timid Barview, North South Slough, Haynes Inlet, Platynereis bicanaliculata, which lives in Kentuck Inlet, South Slough and Charleston tubes on Ulva sp. (Puget Sound). Some syllid as well as rocky outer shores. polychaetes are partly immune to the venom Habitat: Found under a great variety of of Paranemertes peregrina (Roe 1971). conditions, on rocky shores and mudflats and Predators: Crabs will eat nemerteans only if amongst mussel beds, seaweeds, coralline very hungry and after first cleaning off the algae. Avoids bright light. mucus with their claws (Gibson 1972). Salinity: Individuals collected in estuarine Behavior: A diurnal feeder, P. peregrina is habitats as well as open coast at salinities of well known as a voracious, aggressive hunter. 30. It conducts its haphazard searches when the Temperature: The wide distribution range tide is out and nereids are unable to escape. would indicate a tolerance of very cold to Individuals are most abundant as the tide temperate conditions. recedes. On cloudy days, individuals have a Tidal Level: Intertidal and below. temporary burrow to which they retreats on a Associates: slime track (Kozloff 1974). Its predatory Abundance: Common in many habitats with attacks may involve chemoreception a maximum average density of 14 worms/m2 (Amergongen and Chia 1982). During an (Coe 1905), usually less (Haderlie 1975; Roe attack, its proboscis wraps around the prey 1979). Easily the most common mudflat (e.g., a nereid) and it emits a venomous nemertean at Charleston. mucus (toxin anabaseine) (Gibson 1970; Roe 1971), which stuns the prey for about 20 Life-History Information minutes (Roe 1971). The proboscis then Reproduction: Females may outnumber withdraws, drawing the prey into the mouth. males in some populations (Washington, Worms of a great length can be eaten by P. Haderlie 1980). Spawning occurs in spring peregrina, but not those of a large diameter. and summer and eggs take up to six months to mature. Eggs are yellow to pinkish in color and approximately 250 µm in diameter and Bibliography are surrounded by a large egg chorion (Maslakova and von Döhren 2009; T. Hiebert 1. AMERONGEN, H. M., and F. S. CHIA. pers. obs). Deposits of single or gelatinous 1982. Behavioral evidence for a clusters of many fertilized eggs can be found chemoreceptive function of the in the warmer months (Coe 1940). cerebral organs in Paranemertes Larva: Lecithotrophic larvae hatch two to peregrina Coe (Hoplonemertea, three days after fertilization and deposition of Monostilifera). Journal of Experimental the eggs, are bullet-shaped, uniformly ciliated Marine Biology and Ecology. 64:11-16. and possess an apical tuft of longer cilia and 2. COE, W. R. 1901. Papers from the 4–6 ocelli and are planktonic for 3–8 weeks Harriman Alaska Expedition. The (Roe 1976; Malskova and von Döhren 2009). Nemerteans. Proceedings of the Juvenile: Washington Academy: 1-110.

Hiebert, T.C. 2015. Paranemertes peregrina. In: Oregon Estuarine Invertebrates: Rudys' Illustrated Guide to Common Species, 3rd ed. T.C. Hiebert, B.A. Butler and A.L. Shanks (eds.). University of Oregon Libraries and Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, Charleston, OR. 3. —. 1904. Nemerteans of the Pacific 11. MASLAKOVA, S. A., and J. VON coast of North America. Harriman DOHREN. 2009. Larval development Expedition. 11:111-220. with transitory epidermis in 4. —. 1905. Nemerteans of the west and Paranemertes peregrina and other northwest coasts of North America. hoplonemerteans. Biological Bulletin. Bulletin of the Museum at Harvard 216:273-292. College. xlvii:1-318. 12. ROE, P. 1971. Life history and 5. —. 1940. Revision of the nemertean predator-prey interactions of the fauna of the Pacific coasts of north, Nemertean Paranemertes peregrina central and northern South America. Coe. Ph.D. University of Washington, Allan Hancock Pacific Expeditions. Seattle. Reports. 2:247-323. 13. —. 1976. Life-history and predator- 6. GIBSON, R. 1970. The nutrition of prey interactions of nemertean Paranemertes peregrina Paranemertes peregrina Coe. (Rhynchocoela: Hoplonemertea). II. Biological Bulletin. 150:80-106. Observations on the structure of the 14. —. 1979. A Comparison of aspects of gut and proboscis, site and sequence the biology of Paranemertes peregrina of digestion, and food reserves. (Nemertea) from Bodega Harbor, Biological Bulletin. 139:92-106. California, and Washington State. 7. —. 1972. Nemerteans. Hutchinson, Pacific Science. 33:281-287. London. 15. ROE, P., J. L. NORENBURG, and S. 8. HADERLIE, E. C. 1975. Phylum MASLAKOVA. 2007. Nemertea, p. Nemertea (Rhynchocoela), p. 112- 221-233. In: Light and Smith manual: 120. In: Light's manual: intertidal intertidal invertebrates from central invertebrates of the central California California to Oregon. J. T. Carlton coast. S. F. Light, R. I. Smith, and J. T. (ed.). University of California Press, Carlton (eds.). University of California Berkeley, CA. Press, Berkeley. 16. STRICKER, S. A. 1982. The 9. —. 1980. Polychaeta: The Marine Morphology of Paranemertes annelid worms, p. 448-489. In: sanjuanensis sp-n (Nemertea, Intertidal invertebrates of California. R. Monostilifera) from Washington, USA. H. Morris, D. P. Abbott, and E. C. Zoologica Scripta. 11:107-115. Haderlie (eds.). Stanford University 17. STRICKER, S. A., and R. A. CLONEY. Press, Stanford, CA. 1981. The Stylet apparatus of the 10. KOZLOFF, E. N. 1974. Keys to the nemertean Paranemertes peregrina: marine unvertebrates of Puget Sound, its ultrastructure and role in prey the San Juan Archipelago, and capture. Zoomorphology. 97:205-223. adjacent regions. University of Washington Press, Seattle.