Nectonemertes mirabilis (Nemertea: Hoplonemertea: Pelagica) from deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico, first sighting of a pelagic nemertean in the gulf

Abstract

The deep-water bathypelagic nemertean Nectonemertes mirabilis, previously found in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, was confirmed for the first time in the Gulf of Mexico. This new record is represented by a juvenile male collected by a stratified plankton sampling at 800–1,000 m depth in the southern gulf (20.5°N, 94.5°W), during summer 2014. This is the first record of a pelagic nemertean in the gulf; extending our knowledge about the species’ global distribution, the number of nemertean species present in Mexican Atlantic waters, and the need to explore the mesopelagic zone of the oceans.