Aeolosoma marcusi

Van der Land, 1971

Description
Small worms but the largest among Aeolosoma. Prostomium slightly broader than subsequent segments, with lateral transversal furrow; ventral ciliar field broadly extending onto lateral portions of dorsal side. Sensory pits elliptical, separated from ciliated field. Cutaneous glands of different size, coloured in different shades of green, some of them even colourless; no satellite cells. Hair chaetae, slightly bent, 4-12 per bundle, of different length, from 80 to 600 µm. Dissepiments and blood vessel system well developed. Length of a chain of up to 5 zooids, up to 10 mm, width 0.35-0.6 mm, length of the first zooid 2-6 mm, its segment number 10-18. Differing from the most similar congeners, Aeolosoma viride and Aeolosoma headleyi, in larger size, larger segment number in zooids, absence of additional cells in cutaneous glands, presence of dissepiments as well as a more complicated blood vessel system. There has been a nomenclature-related confusion with this species. Van der Land, 1971 discovered that Beddard, 1888 had described originally, under the name Aeolosoma headleyi, a smaller form identical to Aeolosoma bengalense Stephenson, 1911. Hence the latter name should serve as a junior synonym of Aeolosoma headleyi, while the larger form, described thoroughly by Marcus, 1944 as Aeolosoma headleyi (and subsequently named so by Bunke, 1967, as well as by several other authors), should bear a new name, Aeolosoma marcusi Van der Land, 1971.
Gliding on substratum.

Distribution
Europe, Asia, North and South America.

Ecology
In freshwater.

Reproduction
Asexual reproduction by paratomy (budding) prevailing. Maturing seldom.

Literature
Beddard, 1888b: 213-217, Pl. XII; Marcus, 1944: 19-20, 36-44, Figs 6, 22-34; Bunke, 1967: 239-242, Fig. 20; Van der Land, 1971: 676-678, Fig. 13.2I; Chekanovskaya, 1981: 180-182, Fig. 71; Kasprzak, 1981: 79-80, Figs 118-122.