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Fishery Bulletin 88(2), 1990 



pink anterior. Larva spherical or ovoid, lengtli approx- 

 imately 84 (74-92). Anterior and posterior cirri or tufts, 

 approximately 56 long. Two ocelli. 



Taxonomic summary 



Parasite Carcinonemertes wickhami (NEMERTEA: 

 Carcinonemertidae). 



Host California spiny lobster Panulirus interruptus 

 (Randall). Found on 6 of 9 lobsters in July 1982, and 

 2 of 10 lobsters in August 1988. 



Site of infestation Egg-bearing pleopods of female 

 lobsters. Sometimes attached to bases of uropods or 

 pleopods adjacent to the egg mass. Not found in/on 

 branchiae, branchial chamber, arthrodial membranes, 

 or limb apodemes of nonovigerous females. Not found 

 on male lobsters. 



Type locality CALIFORNIA: Santa Barbara, near 



More Mesa, depth of 5 meters. 



Holotype USNM Helm. Coll. #80501: 1 slide-small 

 female holotype in serial section (frontal); and larger 

 female paratype in serial section. Date host collected: 

 7 July 1982. 



Paratype USNM Helm. Coll. #80502: 1 vial-4 male 

 worms; 1 vial— 5 female worms; 1 vial— several egg 

 strings attached to setae and eggs of host. Paratypes 

 from two hosts. Hosts collected: More Mesa, 8 August 

 1988. Additional material in authors' collections. 



Etymology The species is named in honor of Dr. 

 Daniel E. Wickham for his contributions to the biology 

 of the genus. 



Definition Hoplonemertea, Monostilifera, Carcinone- 

 mertidae. Long, filiform nemerteans, up to 50 mm long 

 by 400 turn wide. Anterior proboscis chamber large, 98 

 (84-1 12) long by 80 (70-87) in diameter in females; 79 

 (70-84) long by 57 (56-59) in diameter in males. Basis 

 robust, 40 (36-42) long by 14 basal diameter. Stylet 

 large, with posterior hub, 20 (19-20) long. Posterior 

 proboscis chamber long, slender, 125 (112-140) long 

 by 42 (28-56) in diameter in females; 149 (112-196) 

 long by 47 (42-56) in diameter in males. Posterior por- 

 tion of foregut large, robust, up to 517 long by 345 in 

 diameter. Lateral intestinal diverticula extending to 

 level of middle proboscis chamber. Worms often found 

 in tough, lapillated, parchment-like sheath. Female 

 with indistinct ovarian pores. Diameter of male ex- 

 pands as a "shoulder" at the beginning of the testicu- 

 lar field. Males with voluminous seminal vesicle, up to 



460 long by 115 in diameter. Hoplonemertean larva, 

 84 (78-92) long. 



Diagnosis Carcinonemertes wickhami most closely 

 resembles C. mitsukurii Takakura, 1910, C. carcino- 

 phila carcinophila (Kolliker, 1845), and C. c. vmmimda 

 Humes, 1942 (Table 1). These four nemerteans have 

 relatively large adult forms. Carcinonemertes wick- 

 hami can be distinguished from these large species by 

 its relatively larger basis and stylet, anterior and pos- 

 terior proboscis chambers, larger foregut, and the 

 voluminous seminal vesicle in males (Table 1). Car- 

 cinonemertes wickhami can be distinguished from the 

 smaller species (C australiensis Campbell, Gibson et 

 Evan, 1989; C. coei Humes 1942; C. epialti Coe, 1902; 

 C. errans Wickham, 1978; and C. regicides Shields, 

 Wickham, et Kuris, 1989) by its larger size, relatively 

 larger anterior and posterior proboscis chambers, the 

 voluminous seminal vesicle in males, and by the pres- 

 ence of 2 rows of ovaries rather than 4 rows as in C. 

 coei (Table 1). 



Remarks and discussion 



Humes (1942) and Wickham and Kuris (1988) have 

 reviewed the genus Carcinonemertes, and Shields et 

 al. (1989) and Campbell et al. (1989) have recently 

 amended the family. Seven species are presently recog- 

 nized, one of which contains two subspecies, C. car- 

 cinophila carcinophilo and C. c. imminuta (Table 1). 

 Carcinonemertes wickhami is the eighth species to be 

 described, the second species described from a pali- 

 nuran, and the first species described from southern 

 California. It represents the undescribed species from 

 the spiny lobster listed by Wickham and Kuris (1985). 



Adult C. wickhami are often aligned along the tan- 

 gled egg-bearing setae of the pleopods. The location 

 of the worm along with its photonegative behavior 

 make it difficult to observe this relatively large species 

 in the egg mass of the lobster. Other species of Car- 

 cinonemertes also exhibit photonegative behavior (C. 

 epialti and C. regicides; Shields et al. 1989). 



The larger species of Carcinonemertes are well- 

 muscled in comparison with the smaller species which 

 exhibit a predominantly muco-ciliary movement 

 (Shields et al. 1989). Active thrashing and peristaltic 

 movements were noted in C. wickhami. Males were 

 observed to form figure-8 loops by active muscular con- 

 traction. Carcinonemertes wickhami is also strongly 

 adhesive, a property shared by C. errans and C. regi- 

 cides but not by C. epialti and C. mitsukurii (Shields, 

 pers. observ.). 



Carcinonemertes ivickhami, C. australiensis, and 

 C. regicides have large anterior proboscis chambers. 



