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Morphology and ecology of the kalyptorhynchTyphlopolycystis rubra (Plathelminthes), an inmate of lugworm burrows in the Wadden Sea

Helgoländer Meeresuntersuchungen volume 41, pages 185–199 (1987)Cite this article

Abstract

Typhlopolycystis rubra, a new species of the taxon Polycystididae (Plathelminthes, Kalyptorhynchia), is described. The red species is characterized by copulatory hard structures which consist of a proximal girdle and 2 similar sized stylets.T. rubra occurs in intertidal sand near the island of Sylt in the North Sea. Here, it is virtually confined to the lowest parts of lugworm (Arenicola marina) burrows, where it aggregates in the coarse grained sand around the feeding pocket areas. This is an extremely narrow spatial niche within the sulfide layer of sediment. Population size over a period of 7 years is the most constant one among all species of Plathelminthes living on the tidal flat. The ability ofT. rubra to endure unsuitable conditions inside a cyst may contribute to this remarkably low population variability.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. II. Zoologisches Institut und Museum der Universität Göttingen, Berliner Straße 28, D-3400, Göttingen, FRG

    U. Noldt

  2. Litoralstation List, Biologische Anstalt Helgoland, D-2282, List/Sylt, FRG

    K. Reise

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  1. U. Noldt
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  2. K. Reise
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Noldt, U., Reise, K. Morphology and ecology of the kalyptorhynchTyphlopolycystis rubra (Plathelminthes), an inmate of lugworm burrows in the Wadden Sea. Helgolander Meeresunters 41, 185–199 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02364699

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Helgoland Marine Research

ISSN: 1438-3888

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