Alvinonemertes christianeae gen. et sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: B7C6217E-4889-4C9B-AEB8-B306A24FD93B

Fig. 8F

Diagnosis

Alvinonemertes christianeae gen. et sp. nov. can be attributed to the genus Alvinonemertes gen. nov. based on the strong support for a sister group relationship between the five species of this genus.

Etymology

For Christiane Wallnisch, lab technician at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Bonn. Acknowledging her support in the histology lab over many years. Christiane is a masterful histologist and has not only trained the first and the last author in histological sample preparation but has also sectioned most of the nemerteans included in this study.

Material examined

Holotype

COSTA RICA • spec. (ethanol; entirely used up in DNA extraction; only image and DNA available); methane seep Jaco Scar; 9.11507° N, 84.83978° W; depth 1887 m; 22 Oct. 2018; Shana Goffredi and Drew Bewley leg.; collected by HOV Alvin, Dive 4976; associated with experimentally deployed wood; SIO-BIC N253.

Paratype

COSTA RICA • 1 spec. (ethanol; entirely used up in DNA extraction; only image and DNA available); non-seep seamount Quepos Plateau; 8.58548° N, 84.54836° W; depth 2184 m; 26 Oct. 2018; Lisa Levin and Todd Litke leg.; collected by HOV Alvin, Dive 4980; associated with a naturally occurring wood fall; SIO-BIC N261 .

Description

Specimens 4–5 mm long and 0.5 mm in diameter. Body rounded. One pair of cephalic furrows. Head not demarcated from rest of body, rounded. Body coloration translucent white. Internal organs well visible through body wall (Fig. 8F).

Ecology

This species was collected on naturally occurring and experimentally deployed wood (Pereira et al. 2022), including the same deployment associated with a paratype of the scaleworm Peinaleopolynoe elvisi Hatch & Rouse in Hatch, Liew, Hourdez & Rouse, 2020 (MZUCR 1000-01 ex SIO-BIC A9752).

Remarks

The new species is attributed to the genus Alvinonemertes gen. nov. based on the executed phylogenetic analysis. In the concatenated analysis, A. christianeae gen. et sp. nov. is sister to the newly described species A. claudiae gen. et sp. nov. from the North western Pacific. Together, both species are sister to A. tatjanae gen. et sp. nov. from the North western Pacific. This well-supported clade is firmly nested within the new genus Alvinonemertes (Fig. 7).