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Glite Dictionary
Nemertea

Nemertea

9.9
A group of mostly sea worms with long bodies and a tube for feeding
  • noun
  • /nəˈmɜrtiə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : nemertinos
  • Nemertea are fascinating creatures known for their unique proboscis, which they use to capture prey.

Examples

  • During the dive, we spotted several species of Nemertea hidden among the coral reefs.

  • The marine biologist studied the habitat of Nemertea along the coast to understand their ecological role.

  • Species richness was measured as the number of taxa (species or genus for most taxa; higher taxa for oligochaetes, nemertea, and platyhelminthes).

    Academic text (2002)

Synonyms

phylum Nemertina
vsNemertea
  • Specialized
9.9

A group of mostly sea worms with long bodies and a soft arm they can push out

is an alternative scientific label for the same taxonomic phylum
proboscis worm
vsNemertea
  • Specialized
9.9

A soft sea animal like a thin worm that stretches a long head to catch food

is the name for the whole phylum not just a single animal
ribbon worm
vsNemertea
8.9

A long soft sea animal that can stretch and reach prey with a thin mouth tube

is a common descriptive name for these animals rather than the formal phylum term

Surface Forms

Nemertea singular
Nemerteas plural

Etymology

Nemertea is named after a Greek sea nymph, Nemertes, so a helpful way to remember it is to think 'sea' and long, worm-like animals. These creatures live mostly in the sea and have a long, movable 'proboscis', which is why they are also called proboscis worms.