Tubulanus Sexlineatus Class: Palaeonemertea

Tubulanus sexlineatus Class: Palaeonemertea

Order: The six-lined ribbon worm Family: Tubulanidae

Taxonomy: The genera Tubulanus and (order Paleonemertea) and not completely Carinella were described by Renier (1804) retractable into body. Often flattened dorso- and Johnson (1833), respectively, and were ventrally and disc-like. Head is wider than synonymized by Bürger in 1904 (Gibson trunk, from which it is separated by a con- 1995). Melville (1986) and the International striction (Fig. 2b). Distinct dark cephalic fur- Code of Zoological Nomenclature deter- rows extend from sub-terminal proboscis pore mined that the family name Tubulanidae (Figs. 2b, 2c), and lateral transverse grooves takes precedence over its senior subjective are present just above the constriction which synonym Carinellidae (Ritger and Norenburg separates head from trunk (Fig. 2b) (Order 2006). Synonyms for T. sexlineatus include Paleonemertea). Well- developed cerebral C. sexlineata and C. dinema. sense organs (sensory pits and dorsal grooves) and lateral sense organs (rounded Description pits next to fifth horizontal ring) (Figs. 1, 3) are Size: Individuals are 20 cm in length, on av- present. Nephridia are well developed and erage, but can extend to 1 m (Haderlie exit via pores near the anterior end of the 1975; Griffin 1898). The illustrated speci- lateral sense organ (Coe 1905) (Fig. 3). men 25 cm in length and 1.5–2 cm in width Posterior: Flattened and light in color (from Coos Bay). around anal pore. No caudal cirrus (Fig. 1). Color: Most commonly dark brown with Eyes/Eyespots: No ocelli (Order more than 150 regular horizontal bands and Paleonemertea). 5–6 longitudinal lines (Coe 1905). One of Mouth: Directly behind brain (Class Anopla) these lines is mid-dorsal and two are dorso- and not connected to proboscis pore. Mouth lateral. Two are ventral, dividing ventrum is situated ventrally just behind transverse into three parts (Fig. 2b). If six lines are grooves (Fig. 2b) (Haderlie 1975) and present, the sixth is a faint mid-ventral line. between horizontal pigment bands one and Horizontal bands begin at the tip of the head two (Griffin 1898). and only about half of them continue down Proboscis: Eversible (phylum Nemertea) through the lateral edge to the ventrum (Fig. and, when not everted, coiled inside rhyncho- 3). Bands are sometimes very wide in mid- coel (cavity). Proboscis short, without stylets section. The longitudinal lines vary in (class Anopla) and rhynchocoel less than half extension and are occasionally broken into body length. Proboscis pore sub-terminal spots (Griffin 1898; Haderlie 1980). (Fig. 2b). General Morphology: Soft, elongate, non- Tube/Burrow: Their long, white, rather trans- segmented (Phylum Nemertea) (Fig. 1). parent and tough tubes open at both ends Body: Cylindrical body can be slightly flat- (Fig. 4) and are secreted by worm's epidermis tened posteriorly (Order Paleonemertea; (Coe 1905). Heteronemertea are often flat and ribbonlike, see Cerebratulus). Possible Misidentifications Anterior: Head blunt, not snake-like The brown color of Tubulanus sexlin-

A publication of the University of Oregon Libraries and the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology Individual species: https://oimb.uoregon.edu/oregon-estuarine-invertebrates and full 3rd edition: http://hdl.handle.net/1794/18839 Email corrections to: [email protected]

Hiebert, T.C. and L. Hiebert. 2015. Tubulanus sexlineatus. 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 Biol- ogy, Charleston, OR.

eatus, with both vertical and horizontal Life-History Information markings, is quite distinctive, especially in Reproduction: The reproduction and devel- nemerteans without ocelli or lateral cephalic opment of T. sexlineatus is not known. grooves. There are several other species Larva: The larval development of T. sexline- of Tubulanus in our area of which T. sexlin- atus is not currently known, but is suspected eatus and T polymorphus are most com- to have a planktotrophic, planuliform larva mon and are recognizable from one anoth- (Norenburg and Stricker 2002) with lateral cir- er by their dramatically differing pigment. ri, as is observed in other Tubulanus larvae The latter species is bright orange and (T. Hiebert, pers. obs.). lacks lines. Those with surface patterns Juvenile: which may provide a possible misidentifica- Longevity: tion include: T. cingulatus, which is deep Growth Rate: The growth rate of most ne- brown with white rings, but has only four merteans is unknown, however, most species longitudinal lines, not 5–6 and is subtidal; T. have some regenerative ability. Tubulanus capistratus, is slender and brown with many sexlineatus and T. polymorphus are known to narrow white rings but only three longitudi- regenerate both anterior and posterior ends nal lines and is up to 1 m in length; T. al- (T. Hiebert, pers. obs.) bocinctus is deep red with many narrow Food: Predatory on polychaetes. white rings, but without any longitudinal Predators: lines. Behavior: Because of the many identifying characteristics, which are internal and not Bibliography visible, it is sometimes very difficult to dis- 1. COE, W. R. 1905. Nemerteans of the west tinguish among nemerteans without dis- and northwest coasts of North America. secting them. Ways in which the worms flat- Bulletin of the Museum at Harvard Col- ten, contract, and coil are useful as aids to lege. xlvii:1-318. identification of live specimens. 2. GIBSON, R. 1995. Nemertean genera and species of the world: an annotated check- Ecological Information list of original names and description cita- Range: Described by Griffin from specimens tion, synonyms, current taxonomic status, collected in Puget Sound, Washington and habitats and recorded zoogeographic dis- Alaska (Griffin 1898). Known range includes tribution. Journal of Natural History. Alaska to southern California (Coe 1905). 29:271-562. Local Distribution: Coos Bay sites in spoil 3. GRIFFIN, B. B. 1898. Description of some islands of lower bay and the open coast of marine nemerteans of Puget Sound and Cape Arago. Alaska. Annals of the New York Academy Habitat: Occurs in tubes among algae, mus- of Sciences. xi:pp. 193-218. sels, under rocks and on pilings. 4. HADERLIE, E. C. 1975. Phylum Nemertea Salinity: Collected locally at salinity of 30. (Rhynchocoela), p. 112-120. In: Light's Temperature: manual: intertidal invertebrates of the cen- Tidal Level: Intertidal (Coe 1905) and col- tral California coast. S. F. Light, R. I. lected at about +0.3 m. Smith, and J. T. Carlton (eds.). University Associates: Found with terebellids and the of California Press, Berkeley. polynoid polychaete, Halosydna brevisetosa. 5. —. 1980. Polychaeta: The Marine annelid Abundance: Rather common (Coe 1905). worms, p. 448-489. In: Intertidal inverte- A publication of the University of Oregon Libraries and the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology Individual species: https://oimb.uoregon.edu/oregon-estuarine-invertebrates and full 3rd edition: http://hdl.handle.net/1794/18839 Email corrections to: [email protected]

brates of California. R. H. Morris, D. P. Abbott, and E. C. Haderlie (eds.). Stan- ford University Press, Stanford, CA. 6. NORENBURG, J. L., and S. A. STRICK- ER. 2002. Phylum Nemertea, p. 163- 177. In: Atlas of marine invertebrate larvae. C. M. Young, M. A. Sewall, and M. E. Rice (eds.). Academic Press, San Die- go, CA. 7. RITGER, R. K., and J. L. NORENBURG. 2006. Tubulanus riceae new species (Nemertea: Anopla: Palaeonemertea: Tubulanidae), from south Florida, Belize and Panama. Journal of Natural History. 40:931-942.

Updated 2014 T.C. Hiebert and L. Hiebert