Ceratonereis tentaculata

About Ceratonereis tentaculata

Ceratonereis tentaculata is a small marine bristle worm in the family Nereididae. Its segmented body carries paired parapodia, the lateral structures that bear bristles. The type redescription identifies two antennae, shorter palps, four prominent eyes, and tentacular cirri of unequal length. Some of these cirri extend back over many anterior segments. The exact shape of the parapodial lobes, microscopic bristles, jaws, and pharyngeal denticles is important for separating it from closely related Ceratonereis.

Hawaiian type material was collected outside Honolulu harbor among green and brown algae at a reported depth of 18 m. That is evidence for the species’ marine setting, rather than a habitat measurement for the Kauaʻi record. The Atlas plate uses a shallow marine substrate to display the complete reconstructed form. Its subdued color does not assert the living color of the historical material: the examined types were described as colorless in alcohol. A whole-organism illustration cannot substitute for examination of the microscopic characters used in the revision.

The type review distinguished this species from C. mirabilis and cautioned that some older Indo-Pacific records could involve other species. It did not establish the modified sexual reproductive stage of the examined types. The plate therefore does not invent a swimming reproductive form, juvenile contrast, or external difference between adult sexes.

For Kauaʻi, the Atlas retains the occurrence reported in the Bishop Museum assessment, Appendix A, printed page 86. This is a source-bounded island record. It does not establish present abundance, continued occurrence at the original stations, or island-wide distribution. Reviewing the original specimen and station information against the type description would give a stronger basis for a precise identification and habitat account.