Sluiterina flabellorhynchum Murina, 1976

Saiz-Salinas, J. I., 2007, Sipunculans and echiurans from the deep Angola Basin, Journal of Natural History 41 (45 - 48), pp. 2789-2800 : 2795

Sluiterina flabellorhynchum Murina, 1976

Material. Sta. AT no. 321, one; Sta. AT no. 327, one+one?; Sta. EBS no. 340, one?; Sta. AT no. 343, one; Sta. AT no. 347, one+fragment; Sta. EBS no. 348, one?; Sta. AT no. 351, one.

Description. Trunk 9–70 mm long and 3–30 mm wide. Proboscis lacking, in a few specimens the basal part preserved. Ventral setae absent. Colour beige. Skin smooth. Translucent in the middle of the trunk, more opaque and contracted at both extremes. Trunk cavity with long intestine filled with muddy balls. Single gonoduct on the left side of the nerve cord, with basal gonostome connected by a long stalk. Some specimens (from nos 344, 348) are referred with doubt since gonoducts were not observed. Anal vesicles sac-like with numerous, thin, unbranched tubules on their surface.

Remarks. This species is distinctive because of its single gonoduct with a basal gonostome and because of the absence of setae. Unfortunately, the bifid/single proboscis could not be ascertained in any of the collected specimens. The species is known mainly from Antarctic waters at depths of 2240–6070 m ( Murina 1976; Saiz-Salinas et al. 2000). It has been also recorded in the Atlantic near the Cape Verde Islands at 5880 m ( DattaGupta 1981). Therefore the present records seem to be in the middle of the distribution of the species.