Hydrobiologia 405: 95116, 1999.

1999 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands.

95

Nematodes from the Strait of Magellan and the Beagle Channel (Chile):
the genus Sabatieria (Comesomatidae: Nematoda) with the description
of Sabatieria coomansi n. sp.

Guotong Chen & Magda Vincx

University of Ghent, Department of Biology, Marine Biology Section, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, B-9000 Gent,
Belgium
Tel.: [+32] 9 2645215. Fax: [+32] 9 2645344. E-mail: guotong.chen@ rug.ac.be

Received 29 December 1998; accepted 20 May 1999

Key words: taxonomy, marine nematodes, Sabatieria, the Strait of Magellan, Chile

Abstract
Eight species of the genus Sabatieria, one of which is new to science, are described from the Strait of Magellan
and the Beagle Channel, Chile. Sabatieria coomansi n. sp. is characterised by a rather long body (32364012
m) with conspicuous lateral differentiation; head diameter 24 m, amphids 2.25 turns; long spicules (132149
m) or 1.61.9 abd, 2326 precloacal supplements, tail 3.33.6 abd. This species belongs to the praedatrix group
(Platt, 1985). Sabatieria arcuata is found since its original description by Wieser in 1954. Six other species,
i.e., S. celtica Southern, 1914, S. falcifera Wieser, 1954, S. furcillata Wieser, 1954, S. granifer Wieser, 1954, S.
mortenseni (Ditlevsen, 1921) and S. parabyssalis Wieser, 1954 are redescribed in detail with emphasis on new or
shortly described morphological features.

Introduction Materials and methods

The genus Sabatieria Rouville, 1903 is one of the most
common genera of free-living nematodes in marine
benthic habitats. More than 80 species of this genus
have been described from the genus up to now. Due
to its importance in ecological studies, Sabatieria has
been comprehensively revised by Jensen (1979) and
Platt (1985). Jensen (1979) stated that redescription
of the most abundant species of Sabatieria is urgently
required in order to understand the specific variabil-
ity. Muthumbi et al. (1997) described a new species
of Sabatieria from the Indian Ocean recently. In this
paper, eight species of Sabatieria are described from
the Strait of Magellan and the Beagle Channel, among
them, Sabatieria coomansi n. sp. is identified as new
to science.
This work is a part of the joint ChileanGerman
Italian Magellan Victor Hensen Campaign in 1994.
This is the second paper of nematodes from the Strait
of Magellan area, Chile.
The study area and sampling method, as well as the
specimens treatment are described by Chen & Vincx
(1998). Table 1 shows the stations at which the spe-
cimens were collected during the Magellan Victor
Hensen Campaign. Type specimens are deposited in
the collection of Koninklijk Belgisch Instituut voor
Natuurwetenchappen (KBIN) of Brussels (slide num-
bers RIT 629630) and the Marine Biology Section
of the University of Ghent (MBRUG) (slide numbers
10 43510 441).
Abbreviations
a, body length divided by maximum body diameter;
abd, anal body diameter; abe, anterior body end;
amph D, amphid diameter; b, body length divided by
pharyngeal length; BL, body length; c, body length di-
vided by tail length; c0 , tail length divided by anal body
96
Table 1. Location of sampling stations and their sediment composition in the Strait of Magellan and the Beagle Channel

Station Date Lat. S Long. W Depth Median Sand % Silt % Clay %

no. (m) (m) (>63 m) (4-63 m) (<4 m)

818 19-Oct-94 53 020 6 70 170 2 8 33.9 8.2 80.0 11.7

846 23-Oct-94 53 210 6 70 430 3 195 65.4 51.0 39.9 9.2
864 23-Oct-94 53 420 6 70 480 7 550 17.2 20.2 57.9 22.0
866 25-Oct-94 53 410 8 70 540 6 440 13.0 11.9 65.2 23.0
872 25-Oct-94 53 430 4 70 560 0 351 17.3 23.9 52.6 23.6
877 25-Oct-94 53 410 5 70 560 5 227 55.6
1139 07-Nov-94 54 550 0 68 390 2 255 11.0 6.6 71.8 21.6
1181 12-Nov-94 55 070 0 66550 4 110 5.3 0.0 58.9 41.1
1234 18-Nov-94 55 000 4 66 530 6 100 8.9 0.0 70.2 29.8

diameter; cbd, corresponding body diameter; CSL, Prof. Dr August Coomans, the Director of the Zoology
cephalic setae length; CV%, coefficient of variation; Institute, Ghent University, Belgium.
E-abe, excretory pore from anterior body end; gub L,
gubernacular apophysis length; HD, head diameter; Measurements:
M, maximum body diameter; NR, nerve ring from 10 356 M 3569
the anterior body end; ph L, pharyngeal length; ph Holotype: 1 3833
24 83 95 73
ebd, pharyngeal end body diameter; s0 , spicule length a:40.3, b:10.7, c:14.5, c:3.6,
divided by anal body diameter; s", spicule length
s0 :1.7; spic:142
(tip-tip) divided anal body diameter; SD, standard de-
viation; spic, spicule length; TL, tail length; V, vulva
distance from the anterior end of body; V%, position 10.7 363 2002 3799
Allotype: 1 4102
of vulva as percentage of body length from anterior 24 96 120 76
end; Formula, Values above the line indicate the body a:34.2, b:11.3, c:13.5,
length from abe to measured organ. c0 :4.0; V%=48.8
level of cephalic setae end of the pharynx M(V) anus
total length For other measurements see Table 2.
cbd

All measurements made in m and measured along Description

arc for curved structures.
Results
Sabatieria coomansi n. sp. (Figures 1 and 2)
Materials and type specimens: five males, four females
collected from stations 846, 864, 866, 877 and 1139.
Holotype: 1 on the slide number RIT 629 of KBIN;
allotype: 1 on the slide number RIT 630 of KBIN;
paratypes: males 25 on the slide numbers 10 435
10 438; females 24 on the slide numbers 10 439
10 441 of MBRUG.
Type locality and habitat: see Table 1.
Etymology: the species name is given in honour of
Males: body cylindrical with rounded head end, total
body length 32363833 (3492198) m, head dia-
meter 24 m and 2529% (271.5%) of diameter at
end of pharynx.
Cuticle 3 m thick, punctuated and annulated.
Punctuation starts from the middle of amphids with
close spaced dots in regular transverse rows up to
the tail end. Lateral cuticular differentiation appearing
with a width of 5 m posterior to the amphids with
irregular ornamentation, dots larger and more widely
spaced. Four rows of somatic setae are arranged in
the dorso- and ventrolateral portion. Two pairs of sub-
lateral cervical setae (34 m) are situated 20 m
posterior to the amphids. Amphids spiral with 2.25
turns, 12 m in diameter or 46% (4048%) of cbd,
anterior border of amphids 810 m behind the front
end.
Six internal and six external labial sensilla short
(12 m), four cephalic setae are 6 m long or
 97

Figure 1. Sabatieria coomansi n. sp. (A) 1 Pharyngeal region; (B) 1 surface view of anterior body region; (C) 1 median view of head
region; (D) 1 copulatory apparatus and tail.
98

Figure 2. Sabatieria coomansi n. sp. (A) 1 Pharyngeal region; (B) 1 surface view of anterior body region; (C) 1 median view of head
region; (D) vulva region; (E) 1 tail.
 99
Table 2. Measurements of Sabatieria coomansi n. sp. from the Strait of Magellan and the Beagle Channel

MALE: n=5 FEMALE: n=4

Min Max Mean SD CV% Min Max Mean SD CV%

BL 3236.0 3833.0 3492.4 198.6 5.7 3329.0 4102.0 3735.3 362.2 9.7
a 32.5 40.3 37.9 2.8 7.5 27.3 34.2 31.7 2.6 8.3
b 9.2 10.7 9.8 0.7 7.4 10.1 12.7 11.0 1.1 9.9
c 12.9 15.3 13.9 0.9 6.3 13.3 15.9 14.1 1.1 7.6
HD 22.0 24.0 23.0 0.9 3.9 22.0 24.0 23.0 1.0 4.3
Hd/ph ebd (%) 25.0 28.9 27.4 1.4 5.0 23.8 25.0 24.5 0.5 2.1
CSL 5.3 6.5 5.9 0.4 7.2 5.4 6.0 5.7 0.3 5.8
amph-abe 8.2 10.0 9.5 0.7 7.3 8.0 9.4 8.6 0.6 7.2
amph D 10.6 12.7 12.0 0.8 6.4 10.0 12.5 11.6 1.0 8.3
amph/cbd (%) 40.0 47.5 45.7 2.9 6.3 40.3 50.0 47.6 4.2 8.8
NR 152.0 177.0 169.1 9.3 5.5 165.0 180.0 170.0 5.9 3.5
NR/ph L (%) 45.3 49.3 47.5 1.3 2.8 49.0 51.7 50.1 1.0 2.0
E-abe 186.0 219.0 207.4 12.6 6.1 172.0 210.0 186.0 15.7 8.4
E-abe/ph L (%) 52.7 63.4 58.3 3.7 6.4 50.1 58.8 54.7 3.7 6.7
ph L 317.0 382.0 356.6 22.3 6.3 323.0 363.0 339.8 15.2 4.5
ph ebd 78.0 88.0 84.2 3.5 4.1 88.0 99.0 93.9 4.1 4.4
ph L/ph ebd 3.7 4.5 4.2 0.3 6.8 3.3 3.9 3.6 0.2 6.7
M 82.0 106.0 92.6 8.3 8.9 105.0 125.0 118.0 7.7 6.5
V 1654.0 2001.0 1849.5 151.0 8.2
V% 47.6 52.6 49.3 1.9 3.9
spic 132.0 149.0 140.2 6.6 4.7
s0 1.6 1.9 1.8 0.1 6.0
gub L 50.2 60.7 56.3 3.5 6.2
TL 232.0 264.0 250.6 10.7 4.3 251.0 303.0 265.5 21.8 8.2
abd 70.0 81.0 75.4 4.0 5.3 69.0 79.0 73.3 4.4 6.0
c0 2.9 3.6 3.3 0.3 8.1 3.3 4.0 3.7 0.3 8.2

2227% of the head diameter, and situated at the an-
terior border of amphids. Buccal cavity cup-shaped
with weakly sclerotized walls; conspicuous tooth-like
structures in the base, connected with a narrow non-
sclerotized posterior portion of the stoma. Marginal
tubes are not so clear. The pharynx cylindrical, 317
382 (35722) m long, with a weakly developed
bulb. Nerve ring at 4549% of the pharyngeal length,
excretory pore at 58% (5263%) of the pharyngeal
length from the anterior. Renette cell is just located
posterior of the cardia. Cardia prominent.
The reproductive system diorchic, testes opposite
and outstretched, the anterior one 637 m long and
the posterior part only 100 m long for the type. Spic-
ules paired and slightly curved, 132149 (1427) m
long measured as a curve, or 1.8 (1.61.9) of anal
body diameter, distally with triangular dorsally point-
ing structures. The gubernaculum weakly sclerotized
and surrounds the distal part of the spicule, with a pair
of straight apophysis (5060 m long) in caudal direc-
tion. Cloacal gland cells are surrounding posterior por-
tion of spicules and gubernaculum apophyses. There
are 2326 tubular precloacal supplements and one seta
anterior of the cloacal opening.
The tail is conical with posterior half cylindrical
and a weakly swollen tip, 232264 (25111) m
long, 3.3 (2.93.6) of anal diameter. The somatic setae
located on the tail, more numerous on the ventral then
dorsal side. Terminal setae 56 m long. Three caudal
glands are restricted to the tail.
Females: the females are similar to the male in gen-
eral, but have a longer body (3735362 m) and
a smaller a value (31.72.6 vs 37.93.2). Am-
phid shape is similar as in the male. Reproductive
system didelphic-amphidelphic, ovaries opposite and
outstretched, the anterior one 913 m long and the
100
posterior one 1020 m. Spermathecae present, vulva
at 4853% (492%) of body length.
Differential diagnosis and discussion
Sabatieria coomansi n. sp. is characterised by its
rather long body with conspicuous lateral differen-
tiation, head diameter 24 m, amphids 2.25 turns
or 4050% of cbd; long spicules (132149 m) or
1.61.9 abd and numerous precloacal supplements
(2326); and tail 3.33.6 abd.
Sabatieria coomansi n. sp. is very close to
Sabatieria granifer Wieser, 1954, in having similar
values of the amphid size, the ratio of head diameter
to the diameter at the end of pharynx, the ratio of tail
length to abd and the ratio of spicule length to abd.
However, Sabatieria coomansi n. sp. can be distin-
guished from Sabatieria granifer by the large body
length (32364102 vs 17652620 m), large head dia-
meter (24 vs 19 m) and longer spicules (132149
vs 104116 m); short cephalic setae (6.0 vs 77.5
m) and number of precloacal supplements (2326 vs
1322).
Sabatieria coomansi n. sp. is close to Sabatieria
alata Warwick, 1973 in having a long body length and
similar cuticle punctuation. Sabatieria alata has more
turns in the amphids (2.83.2), shorter spicules (8090
m), the tail tip not swollen (half filiform) and large
c ratio (5.5 vs 2.94.0). This new species belongs
to the Sabatieria praedatrix group of Platt (1985) be-
cause of the simple tubular supplements and straight
gubernaculum apophyses.
Sabatieria arcuata Wieser, 1954 (Figure 3AC)
Material studied: one male collected from station 818.
Measurements:
191 M 1457
1 1607
11 48 53 45
a:30.3, b:8.4, c:10.7; c0 :3.3,
s0 :1.6; spic:74
Description
Male: body cylindrical with a rounded head end,
tapering towards extremities.
Head diameter is 12 m or 25% of the diameter at
end of pharynx. Cuticle punctuated with dense regular
transverse rows throughout the dorsal and the ventral
side. The lateral differentiation is conspicuously ob-
served with large and more spaced dots in the cervical
region and in the copulatory region, but not so obvious
from the posterior end of the pharynx till the anterior
end of the copulatory region.
Somatic setae 5 m long, scattered in the cer-
vical region. Amphid spiral with 3.25 turns, 10 m
in diameter or 75% of cbd, anterior border of am-
phid situated at 5 m from the front end. Anterior
sense organs in three distinct rows with six obvious
internal labial papillae and six external labial papillae;
four slender cephalic setae 12 m long which is 100%
of the head diameter and are situated at the anterior
border of the amphid.
Buccal cavity is typical cup-shaped with tooth-like
structures in the base. Marginal tubes are not clear.
The pharynx gradually increases in diameter till the
posterior end, no real bulb formed. Nerve ring at 120
m from the front end and at 63% of pharyngeal
length; excretory pore just behind the nerve ring. Car-
dia small, broader than long. Renette cell large and
located posterior of the cardia.
The reproductive system is diorchic, testes op-
posite and outstretched. Spicules paired and strongly
curved, 74 m long and 1.6 anal body diameter, or 49
m for chord (tip to tip) and 1.1 abd; rounded proxim-
ally with a central lamella of one-third spicule length,
the distal end is arctuated. Gubernaculum with a pair
of apophyses, 28 m long, caudally oriented. Cloacal
gland cells are obviously surrounding the spicules and
apophyses. There is one short seta 26 m in front
of the anal opening; three tubular precloacal supple-
ments, located between 72 and 158 m anterior of the
cloacal opening.
Tail 150 m long and 3.3 anal diameter. 80%
anterior portion of tail conical, only 20% posterior
cylindrical, tail tip not swollen. Six somatic setae on
tail, terminal setae 4 m long. Three caudal glands
are situated within the tail.
No female found.
Discussion
Sabatieria arcuata Wieser, 1954 is characterised by
rather long cephalic setae (12 m, 100% of HD);
with conspicuous lateral differentiation; amphids 3.25
turns, 75% of cbd; spicules strongly curved, 74 m
long and 1.6 abd; three precloacal supplements; and
tail 3.3 abd without swollen tip.
This is the first record of Sabatieria arcuata since
Wieser (1954, Chilean coast). In the original descrip-
tion only one specimen (partly damaged) was recorded
 101

Figure 3. Sabatieria arcuata Wieser, 1954 (A, B). (A) 1 Surface view of anterior body region; (B) 1 median view of pharyngeal region; (C)
1 copulatory apparatus and tail. Sabatieria parabyssalis Wieser, 1954 (E, F). (D) 1 Head region; (E) 1 median view of pharyngeal region;
(F) 1 tail.
102
Table 3. Comparison the characters of Sabatieria arcuata Wieser, 1954 between our specimens and the types description

HD/SCL Amph Amph D Spic

BL a b c HD SCL (%) turns (%) (tiptip) s00 c0

Magellans 1607.0 30.3 8.4 10.7 12.0 12.0 100.0 3.25 75.0 49.9 1.1 3.3
Wiesers 1520.0 33.8 7.9 10.1 13.0 13.0 100.0 3.25 75.0 43.0 1.3 3.2

and therefore, Platt (1985) put S. arcuata as a dubious
species. Our specimen agrees well with the descrip-
tion by Wieser (1954) (Table 3). The only difference
is found in the supplements and their position accord-
ing the figure of Wieser, where the two supplements
are more close together and near the anal opening
compared with the specimen of the Strait of Magel-
lan. Therefore, we treat Sabatieria arcuata as a valid
species. Sabatieria arcuata belongs to the S. armata
group, although the a and cephalic setae are smaller
than for other species in this group (Platt, 1985).
Sabatieria celtica Southern, 1914 (Figure 4)
Materials studied: two males and three females collec-
ted from stations 818 and 1234, in the sediment depth
between 0 and 5 cm.
Measurement:
233 M 1609
1 1770
13 42 46 41
a:38.5, b:7.6, c:11.0; c0 :3.9,
s0 :1.3; spic:50
257 914 1707
1 1907
13 43 58 36
a:32.9, b:7.4, c:9.5;
c0 :5.5; V%=47.9
For other measurements see Table 4.
Description
Males: body evenly cylindrical with a rounded head
end, tapering towards extremities. Total body length
173535 m.
Head diameter is 13 m and 3035% of diameter
at end of pharynx. Cuticle punctuated with dense and
fine regular transverse rows throughout the dorsal and
ventral side. Lateral field 1213 m wide or 52% of
cbd. The lateral differentiation is more obvious in the
cervical and in the copulatory region than throughout
the middle part of the body.
Somatic setae 45 m long, scattered at the cer-
vical region. Amphids spiral with 2.5 turns, 11 m in
diameter or 73% (7075%) of cbd, anterior border of
amphids situated at 5 m of the front end or just at the
level of cephalic setae.
Anterior sense organs in three distinct rows with
six obvious internal labial papillae and six external la-
bial papillae (1 m); four slender cephalic setae 78
m long, 60% (5362%) of head diameter.
Buccal cavity is typical cup-shaped, it is deeper
than wide (43 m), tooth-like structure at the bot-
tom. Marginal tubes are obvious at posterior level of
the amphids. The pharynx has a weekly developed ter-
minal bulb. At the level of amphids, the pharynx is
obviously depressed or concavo-concave, then evenly
cylindrical and only expanding posteriorly. Nerve ring
at 57% of pharyngeal length, excretory pore at 146 m
from abe, 63% of pharyngeal length. Cardia small,
broader than wide. Renette cell is located 67 m
posterior of cardia.
The reproductive system is diorchic, testes oppos-
ite and outstretched. Spicules paired and slightly bent,
5055 m long in curve and 1.4 (1.31.5) anal body
diameter, rounded proximally with a short central
lamella. Gubernaculum with a pair of apophyses, 21
m long, strongly bent in caudal direction. Seventeen
tubular precloacal supplements, occupying 90130
m or 5.37.4% of total body length.
Tail 161 m long and 4.1 (3.94.3) anal diameter.
Anterior 40% portion conical, posterior cylindrical
and slender, the tail tip slightly swollen. Three ter-
minal setae 67 m long. Somatic setae on tail 45
m long, scattered.
Females: the total body length of females longer than
males (L=1995170 m). Amphids 10 m in dia-
meter, 2.5 turns, 61% (5365%) of abd. Renette cell
located also far behind the cardia. The tail length
is 1977 m or 4.46.2 (5.40.8) anal body dia-
meter. Three caudal glands are restricted to the tail.
Reproductive system didelphic-amphidelphic, ovaries
opposite and outstretched. Vulva is located at 49%
(4651%) of body length.
 103

Figure 4. Sabatieria celtica Southern, 1914. (A) 1 Anterior body region; (B) 1 pharyngeal region; (C) 1 copulatory apparatus and tail;
(D) 1 median view of pharyngeal region; (E) 1 anterior body end; (F) 1 tail; (G) 1 vulva region.
104
Table 4. Measurements of Sabatieria celtica Wieser, 1954 from the Strait of Magellan and the Beagle Channel

MALE: n=2 FEMALE: n=3

1.0 2.0 Mean SD CV% Min Max Mean SD CV%

BL 1770.0 1700.0 1735.0 35.0 2.0 1907.0 2252.0 2062.0 143.0 6.9
a 38.5 39.5 39.0 0.5 1.4 30.0 36.9 33.3 2.8 8.4
b 7.6 7.5 7.5 0.1 0.7 7.4 8.2 7.8 0.3 4.0
c 11.0 10.6 10.8 0.2 2.0 9.5 12.0 10.5 1.0 10.2
HD 13.0 13.4 13.2 0.2 1.5 13.4 16.0 14.5 1.1 7.7
CSL 8.0 7.4 7.7 0.3 3.9 8.0 10.0 9.0 0.8 9.1
CSL/HD (%) 61.5 52.9 57.2 4.3 7.6 57.1 67.2 62.3 4.1 6.6
amph D 10.7 10.7 10.7 0.0 0.0 10.0 10.0 10.0 0.0 0.0
amph/cbd (%) 75.0 70.0 72.5 2.5 3.4 53.0 65.0 61.0 5.7 9.3
N.R. 132.0 129.0 130.5 1.5 1.1 145.0 154.7 154.7 10.3 6.7
NR/ph L (%) 56.6 57.0 56.8 0.2 0.4 58.5 59.3 58.6 0.5 0.9
E-abe 146.0 145.0 145.5 0.5 0.3 155.0 193.0 169.0 17.0 10.1
E-abe/ph L (%) 62.8 64.0 63.4 0.6 0.9 60.0 67.7 64.0 3.2 4.9
ph L 233.0 227.0 230.0 3.0 1.3 248.0 263.3 15.8 6.0
ph ebd 42.0 40.0 41.0 1.0 2.4 41.0 55.0 46.7 6.0 12.9
ph L/ph ebd 5.5 5.7 5.6 0.1 1.1 5.2 6.0 5.7 0.4 6.5
M 46.0 43.0 44.5 1.5 3.4 55.0 75.0 62.7 8.8 14.1
V 914.0 1150.0 105.7 10.6
V% 46.4 51.1 48.5 1.9 4.0
spic 50.0 54.8 52.4 2.4 4.6
abd 41.0 37.0 39.0 2.0 5.1 33.0 43.0 37.3 4.2 11.2
s0 1.3 1.5 1.4 0.1 7.1
gub L 21.0 22.0 21.5 0.5 2.3
TL 161.0 161.0 161.0 0.0 0.0 188.0 204.0 197.3 6.8 3.4
c0 3.9 4.3 4.1 0.2 4.5 4.4 5.2 5.4 0.8 14.1
spic (tip-tip) 46.0 51.0 48.5 2.5 5.2
s00 1.1 1.4 1.3 0.1 10.3

Discussion collected in the 05 cm sediment layer, five males and

Sabatieria celtica Southern, 1914 is very close to S. other two females below 5 cm depth sediments.
parabyssalis Wieser, 1954, in having a similar ratio of
a, b and c, as well as the morphological shape of am- Measurements:
phids and the length of the cephalic setae. One could
separate S. celtica by the renette cell far behind the car- 8 253 M 2092
1 2241
dia and by the shape of the spicule and tail. Sabatieria 17 49 53 42
celtica has obviously curved gubernacular apophyses; a:42.3, b:8.9, c:15.0; c0 :3.5,
60% of the tail length is cylindrical comparing with s0 :1.7; spic:73
the 40% cylindrical part in S. parabyssalis.
There is a wide range in the intraspecific vari-
ation of certain character states (Lorenzen, 1971; Platt, 8 270 1320 2483
1 2668
1984; Vincx, 1986). This variation, however, is not so 17 57 75 48
obvious in our specimens. a:35.6, b:9.9, c:14.4;
c0 :3.9; V%=50
Sabatieria falcifera Wieser, 1954 (Figure 5)
For other measurements see Table 5.
Materials studied: five males and four females collec-
ted from station 1181 and station 1234. Two females
 105

Figure 5. Sabatieria falcifera Wieser, 1954. (A) 1 Anterior body region; (B) 1 median view of pharyngeal region; (C) 1 copulatory
apparatus and tail; (D) 1 anterior body region; (E) 1 median view of pharyngeal region; (F) 1 anal region and tail.
106
Table 5. Measurements of Sabatieria falcifera Wieser, 1954 from the Strait of Magellan and the Beagle Channel

MALE: n=5 FEMALE: n=4

Min Max Mean SD CV Min Max Mean SD CV

BL 2241.0 2795.0 2478.5 203.3 8.2 2234.0 2774.0 2541.5 204.5 8.0
a 34.6 42.3 38.9 2.8 7.1 37.9 41.4 38.6 2.1 5.5
b 8.9 11.0 10.0 0.7 7.4 9.2 10.5 9.9 0.5 5.2
c 15.0 17.6 15.9 1.0 6.0 13.6 16.4 14.6 1.1 7.6
HD 15.4 17.0 16.2 0.6 3.5 14.0 17.0 15.6 1.1 6.9
CSL 5.4 6.0 5.6 0.3 5.3 4.5 5.3 5.0 0.3 6.5
amph-abe 7.0 8.4 7.8 0.5 6.5 7.4 10.1 8.4 1.1 13.2
amph D 10.5 12.1 11.4 0.5 4.4 9.4 10.7 9.7 0.6 5.8
amph/cbd (%) 53.0 63.0 58.6 3.9 6.7 50.0 53.0 50.8 1.3 2.6
E-abe 149.2 166.3 159.7 7.5 4.7 141.2 170.3 155.8 14.6 9.3
E-abe/ph (%) 63.0 68.0 65.7 2.1 3.1 58.0 63.0 60.5 2.5 4.1
ph L 238.0 253.0 247.2 6.4 2.6 244.0 270.0 255.5 11.3 4.4
ph ebd 49.0 55.4 52.3 2.8 5.4 52.8 57.0 55.7 1.7 3.0
ph L/ph ebd 4.4 5.2 4.7 0.3 5.7 4.4 4.7 4.6 0.1 2.9
M 53.0 73.0 64.2 8.5 13.2 54.0 75.0 66.3 8.4 12.7
V 1074.0 1320.0 1242.0 100.7 8.1
V% 47.6 50.4 49.0 1.2 2.5
spic 72.6 89.8 83.7 5.8 7.0
abd 42.7 47.7 45.6 1.9 4.2 41.0 51.0 47.3 3.8 8.0
s0 1.7 1.9 1.8 0.1 4.6
gub L 30.4 37.0 34.5 2.7 7.9
TL 149.0 166.3 155.9 6.3 4.0 136.0 200.0 176.0 24.0 13.6
c0 3.1 3.5 3.3 0.2 4.7 3.3 4.0 3.7 0.3 7.9
spic (tip-tip) 64.7 81.8 75.5 6.0 8.0
S00 1.5 1.7 1.7 0.1 4.7

Description with weekly sclerotized walls and bottom. The mar-

Males: body cylindrical with rounded head end. Head
diameter is 16 m (1517 m) and 30% of diameter at
end of pharynx. A constriction is present at the anterior
level of the amphid. Cuticle 2 m thick, conspicuously
punctuated and annulated. Dorsal and ventral side
ornamented with fine dots in dense and regular trans-
verse rows, lateral cuticular differentiation consists of
larger and spaced dots throughout the whole body.
Somatic setae 23 m long, distributed unevenly in
the dorso- and ventrolateral longitudinal rows, the first
anterior somatic seta 2731 m to the front end. Am-
phids spiral with 2.75 turns, 11 m (1012 m) in
diameter and 59% (5362%) of cbd. Anterior border
of amphids situated at 8 m from the front end or at
the level of the cephalic setae.
Anterior sensilla in three distinct rows with six
internal labial papillae (1.0 m), six external labial
sensilla (12 m), and four cephalic setae 6 m long
or 35% of head diameter. Buccal cavity cup-shaped
ginal tubes are clearly at the level of the amphids. The
pharynx gradually increases in diameter and slightly
enlarged posteriorly. Excretory pore at 66% (6368%)
of pharyngeal length. Nerve ring at 141 m to the
front body end and 56% of pharyngeal length. Renette
cell enlarged and situated at posterior end of the
cardia. Cardia small, wider than long.
The reproductive system diorchic, testes opposite
and outstretched, the anterior one longer (340 m)
than the posterior one (255 m). Copulatory appar-
atus with thick spicules, 12 m broad, paired and
curved, 85 m (7390 m) long or 1.8 (1.71.9) of
anal diameter, a central lamella along 1/4 of length
in the proximal part. Gubernaculum with a pair of
dorso-caudally directed apophyses, 3038 m long.
Twenty-one to 26 indistinct precloacal supplements.
There is one seta at anterior of the anal opening.
Tail conical with 1/4 cylindrical, 149166 m
long, 3.3 (3.13.5) of anal diameter; tail tip swollen

with three terminal setae. Three caudal glands are
clearly restricted to the tail.
Females: the females are similar to males in gen-
eral body shape. The cephalic setae 5.0 m long,
the amphids are spiral with 2.5 turns, 10 m in dia-
meter or 51% (5053%) of cbd. Reproductive system
didelphicamphidelphic, ovaries opposite and out-
stretched. Three caudal glands are restricted to the
tail. Vulva located at the middle of the body length
(4850%). Tail 3.7 (3.34.1) times of anal diameter
long.
Discussion
Sabatieria falcifera Wieser, 1954 described from the
Chilean coast, is characterised by a head diameter of
1617 m, cephalic setae 67 m long; spicules thick, setae located at 2628 m of the front head end. Am-
846 m long or 1.8 anal body diameter, tail 3.14.1
abd with a swollen tip.
Our specimens are general similar to the original
description of Wieser (1954), but with following dif-
ferences: the body length is larger (: 2478203 m
vs 1940; : 2541204 vs 2110); the spicules are
longer (tip to tip, 75.56.0 m (1.7abd) vs 66.5
m (1.5abd)); and the cephalic setae are shorter than
with in the type material (6 vs 7 m). The indistinct
precloacal supplements may be easily overlooked, as
Wieser (1954) stated there are about 10 supplements
compared to the 2126 supplements in our specimens.
Sabatieria furcillata Wieser, 1954 (Figure 6)
Materials studied: seven females, seven males collec-
ted from stations 818, 1139, 1181 and 1234. Four
specimens collected below 5 cm sediment depth, the
others collected in the 05-cm surface sediments.
Measurements:
6 218 M 1777
1 1981
14 45 57 40
a:34.8, b:9.1, c:9.7; c:5.2,
s0 :2.0; spic:79
6 231 920 1865
1 2021
14 43 54 34
a:37.3, b:8.7, c:9.1;
c0 :6.5; V%=45.5
For other measurements see Table 6.
107
Description
Males: body cylindrical with rounded head end, taper-
ing towards extremities, total body length 193183
m.
Head diameter is 13 m (1214 m) and 30%
of diameter at end of pharynx. Cuticle 2 m thick
and punctuated with dense and regular transverse rows
throughout on the dorsal and ventral side. The lateral
differentiation is conspicuous in the cervical region
and in the copulatory region, arranged by larger and
more spaced dots; lateral field 1213 m wide, 44
47% of cbd. Lateral differentiation is not so clear from
the posterior end of the pharynx till the anterior por-
tion of the copulatory region, as well as the cylindrical
portion of tail.
Somatic setae 24 m long, first pair of sublateral
phids spiral with 2.753.0 turns, 10 m in diameter
or 67% (6473%) of cbd, anterior border of amphids
situated at 7 m to the front end.
Anterior sense organs in three distinct crowns with
six obvious internal labial papillae and six external la-
bial papillae, four slender cephalic setae 7 m long,
50% of head diameter.
Buccal cavity cup-shaped, pharyngeal muscles
connected with the bottom of the stoma. Marginal
tubes not clear. The pharynx is 203238 (22312)
m long, cylindrical in its anterior part and expanded
slightly posterior, however, no clear bulb is formed.
Nerve ring at 53% (5058%) of pharyngeal length,
excretory pore 10 m behind nerve ring. Cardia small,
surrounded totally by intestine. Renette cell is located
posteriorly of cardia.
The reproductive system diorchic, testes opposed
and outstretched, the anterior branch longer (535 m)
than posterior branch (266 m). Spicules paired and
slightly bent, 77 m (7483 m) long in curve or
1.9 (1.72.0) anal body diameter, rounded proxim-
ally with central lamella along one-third to half of the
length, the distal end actuated. Gubernaculum with a
pair of straight caudal apophyses (2637 m long);
the apophyses are interconnected at their distal part
by a strongly sclerotized median part. Fourteen to 20
tubular precloacal supplements, first nine or 10 sup-
plements close the anal opening are more conspicuous
than the others.
Tail 184209 m long or 4.9 (4.45.2) anal dia-
meter. Anterior half of the tail conical, posterior half
cylindrical and slender, the tail tip elongated and not
swollen. Three terminal setae 5 m long. Three caudal
glands restricted to the tail.
108

Figure 6. Sabatieria furcillata Wieser, 1954. (A) 1 Anterior body region; (B) 1 median view of pharyngeal region; (C) 1 copulatory
apparatus and tail; (D) 1 median view of pharyngeal region; (E) 1 anterior body region; 1 (F) tail.
 109
Table 6. Measurements of Sabatieria furcillata Wieser, 1954 from the Strait of Magellan and the Beagle Channel

MALE: n=7 FEMALE: n=7

Min Max Mean SD CV Min Max Mean SD CV

BL 1741.0 2021.0 1931.4 82.7 4.3 2021.0 2434.0 2235.4 120.0 5.4
a 29.3 40.7 34.0 4.0 11.6 31.3 38.8 34.7 2.4 6.9
b 8.2 9.1 8.7 0.3 3.9 8.7 10.4 9.5 0.6 6.3
c 9.1 10.5 9.8 0.5 4.7 8.9 10.2 9.5 0.5 5.6
HD 12.1 14.0 13.2 0.6 4.9 14.0 15.0 14.3 0.4 2.7
CSL 6.7 7.4 7.0 0.3 4.2 6.0 7.0 6.9 0.3 5.1
amph-abe 5.7 7.0 6.7 0.4 6.5 6.7 7.0 7.0 0.1 1.5
amph D 9.4 12.1 10.4 0.8 7.6 8.7 10.1 9.8 0.5 5.0
amph/cbd (%) 58.0 73.0 66.1 4.4 6.6 50.0 66.0 60.1 5.5 9.1
NR 112.0 124.0 117.9 4.8 4.0 116.0 132.0 123.6 5.6 4.5
NR/ph L (%) 50.0 58.0 53.1 2.5 4.8 51.0 56.0 53.0 1.8 3.4
ph L 203.0 238.0 222.7 12.4 5.5 225.0 250.0 235.4 7.3 3.1
ph ebd 43.6 48.8 45.8 2.1 4.6 44.0 51.0 47.8 2.4 5.0
ph L/ph ebd 4.5 5.3 4.9 0.2 4.5 5.2 4.9 0.2 4.3
M 47.5 67.0 57.6 6.8 11.8 54.1 73.0 64.8 6.9 10.6
V 920.0 1100.0 1004.0 53.6 5.3
V% 44.2 45.5 44.9 0.5 1.0
spic 73.6 83.2 77.4 3.1 4.1
abd 38.3 43.0 40.5 1.4 3.3 34.0 42.0 38.8 2.4 6.3
s0 1.7 2.0 1.9 0.1 5.0
gub L 26.4 37.0 31.2 3.4 10.8
TL 184.0 208.6 197.2 8.0 4.1 222.0 243.0 236.3 15.8 6.7
c0 4.4 5.2 4.9 0.3 5.8 5.8 6.6 6.3 0.3 4.8
spic (tip-tip) 54.1 68.0 63.5 4.3 6.8
S00 1.3 1.7 1.6 0.1 8.6

Sabatieria furcillata is originally described by

Females: the total body length of females longer
than males (L=2235120 m (20212434 m) vs
1931.482.7 m (17412021 m) in females and
males respectively). Amphids 10 m in diameter,
2.252.75 turns, 60% of abd (5065%). The ratio
of tail length to anal diameter (c0 =6.30.3) is larger
than in the males. Reproductive system didelphic
amphidelphic, ovaries opposite and outstretched, the
anterior branch 460 m and the posterior branch 433
m long. Vulva is located at 45% (4446%) of body
length.
Discussion
Sabatieria furcillata Wieser, 1954 is characterised by
the cephalic setae 7 m and 50% of head diameter;
spicules 7483 m long or 1.9 anal body diameter;
males tail length 4.65.2 abd, females 5.66.6 abd and
vulva at 45% of body length.
Wieser (1954) from the Chilean coast. The cuticular
ornamentation was described with each annul having
three transverse rows of dots. This character, however,
is not observed in our specimens; but the clarity of an-
nulation can vary among specimens (Platt, 1985). The
gubernacular apophyses are longer in our specimens
than in the original type collection (2637 m vs 21
23 m). The spicule length measured from tip to tip is
quite similar with Wiesers record (5468 m, 1.6 abd
vs. 6265 m, 1.66 abd). The other characteristics of
our specimens, such as the head diameter, the length
of cephalic setae, the shape of amphids and the tail,
are all close to the characteristics of the type material.
Sabatieria granifer Wieser, 1954 (Figure 7)
Materials studied: one male and one female collected
in the 05 cm sediments from station 818.
110

Figure 7. Sabatieria granifer Wieser, 1954. (A) 1 Anterior body region; (B) 1 median view of pharyngeal region; (C) 1 copulatory
apparatus and tail; (D) 1 anterior body region; (E) 1 median view of pharyngeal region; (F) 1 tail.
 111

Measurements: spicules. The dorsocaudal apophyses are 49 m long,

with a strongly sclerotized median piece in the distal
8 293 M 2464 part. 22 precloacal supplements, one seta anterior of
1 2941 the anal opening.
19 57 79 57
a:37.2, b:10.0, c:11.2; c0 :4.6, Tail conical with posterior half cylindrical, 262 m
long or 4.6 of anal diameter. Tail tip weekly swollen
s0 :2.0; spic:116
with three terminal setae (7 m long). Three caudal
glands are restricted to the tail.
6 310 1260 2208
1 2641
19 79 113 63 Female: the female is similar to the male in gen-
a:23.4, b:8.5, c:9.7; eral body morphology, although it is obviously more
c0 :4.3; V%=47.7 expanding in vulva region. Cephalic setae are7 m,
37% of head diameter. Amphid size and turns sim-
ilar as in the male. Reproductive system didelphic
Description amphidelphic, ovaries opposite and outstretched, the
Male: body cylindrical and slightly broader in the mid- anterior and posterior branch are similar length (670
body part. Head is 19 m in diameter and 33% of 690 m). Vulva at 48% of body length. Three caudal
diameter at end of pharynx. glands are restricted to the tail.
Cuticle conspicuously punctuated and annulated.
Lateral cuticular differentiation starts at the posterior Discussion
border of the amphid with rather coarse and spaced
Sabatieria granifer Wieser, 1954 is characterised by
dots, especially in the cervical and caudal region.
its rather long body (26003000 m) with conspicu-
Three to six somatic setae arranged in the dorsal and
ous irregularly arranged large dots in its lateral differ-
ventral sides of the cervical portion, the anterior one
entiation; head diameter 19 m, amphids 2.5 turns, 11
40 m to the front head end. Numerous somatic setae
m or 50% of cbd; long spicules (116 m in curve)
on the tail, and more ventrally than dorsally. Amphids
or 2.0 abd, 104 m in chord; and tail 3.55.0 abd with
are spiral with 2.5 turns, 11 m in diameter and 50%
very weakly swollen tip.
of cbd, the anterior border of amphid 8 m behind the
Our specimens agree quite well with the descrip-
front end.
tion by Wieser (1954), except the c0 ratio of the tail.
Six internal labial papilla and six external labial
For the type of S. granifer, the c0 of male is smaller
papilla conspicuous, four cephalic setae 8 m long
then female (3.5 vs 45), but it is almost the same ratio
and 42% of head diameter, situated at the anterior
in our specimens. Besides this, the supplements could
border of amphid.
be variable, it is 1317 supplements in type comparing
Buccal cavity with two compartments, a cup-
22 in our specimen.
shaped anterior portion which its depth larger than
Platt (1985) proposed to synonymize Sabatieria
width with weekly sclerotized wall and bottom, the
granulosa Vitiello & Boucher, 1971 to S. granifer
posterior portion is narrow and looks like a weekly
Wieser, due to the morphometrical identical and the
seclerotized tube.
similar ratios of a, b and c between the two species.
The pharynx is 293 m long, slightly expanding to
However, one can separate them by the structures
the end, no real bulb formed. Nerve ring 157 m to the
of the head and the copulartory apparatus (Table 7).
front end or 53.6% of the pharyngeal length; excretory
Moreover, teeth well developed in S. granifer, but
pore 183 m to abe and 62.5% of pharyngeal length.
not seen in S. granulosa (Vitiello & Boucher, 1971);
Renette cell is situated at the posterior portion of the
the distal end of apophyses more rounded than in S.
cardia. Cardia apple-shaped and prominent.
granifer. We consider, therefore, S. granulosa Vitiello
The reproductive system diorchic, testes opposite
& Boucher, 1971 as a valid species.
and outstretched. The anterior branch is 2 times longer
(714 m) than the posterior branch (365 m). Spic-
ules slender, paired and slightly bent, 116 m long in Sabatieria mortenseni (Ditlevsen, 1921) (Figure 8)
arc, 2.0 of anal diameter, with a central lamella along
1/3 of length of proximal part, 16 m broad. Guber- Materials studied: four males, five females collected
naculum 34 m wide surrounding the distal part of the from stations 1234, 866 and 864. Three female speci-
112

Figure 8. Sabatieria mortenseni (Ditlevsen, 1921. (A) 1 Anterior body region; (B) 1 median view of pharyngeal region; (C) 1 copulatory
apparatus; (D) 1 copulatory region and tail; (E) 1 anterior body region; (F) 1 median view of pharyngeal region; (G) 1 tail; (H) 1 vulva.

Table 7. Comparison some characters between Sabatieria granifer Wieser, 1954 and Sabatieria granulosa Vitiello & Boucher, 1971
BL a b
S. granifer 19302620 26.037.2 8.410.7
S. granulosa 17652416 36.139.6 8.49.1
mens collected in the under 5 cm depth sediments at
station 1234, others all in the 05 cm surface layers.
Measurements:
5 165 M 1417
1 1527
11 28 28 28
a:54.5, b:8.8, c:13.8; c0 :4.0,
s0 :1.9; spic:54
5 186 833 1647
1 1760
12 33 40 27
a:44.0, b:96, c:15.6;
c0 :4.2; V%=47.3
For other measurements see Table 8.
Description
Males: body is rather slender and cylindrical, only
tapering from the anal opening to the tail tip. The head
is 1112 m in diameter and separated from the body
by a conspicuous constriction, the front head end set
off.
Cuticle punctuation not clearly observed in an-
terior body region, but faint transverse rows of dots
could be detected from the level of the nerve ring. Five
to six cervical setae, the first one is situated 36 m to
the anterior body end. Amphids spiral with 2.75 turns,
9 m in diameter, 72% (6778%) of cbd, anterior
border of amphids 7 m behind the front end.
Cephalic sense organs in three crowns, six in-
ternal labial papillae and six external labial papillae,
conspicuous, four cephalic setae situated at the an-
terior border of amphids, 5 m long, 4050% of head
diameter.
Buccal cavity small and cup-shaped, pharyngeal
musculature surrounds the posterior part of the buccal
cavity. Marginal tubes could be seen at the level of
the amphids. Pharynx 1707 m long and cylindrical
but only slightly enlarged in its posterior part. Cardia
small but prominent. Nerve ring at 56% (5458%) of
the pharyngeal length. Excretory pore is at 24 m
113
c HD CSL Spic (tiptip)
9.612.6 18.019.0 7.08.0 105.0
9.612.7 12.017.0 3.26.0 5885
posterior of nerve ring or 67% of pharyngeal length.
Renette cell pyriform and situated behind the pharynx,
the ampulla not much smaller then renette cell it-
self. The body region of the renette cell is obviously
expanded.
The reproductive system is diorchic, testes oppos-
ite and outstretched. The spicules paired and curved,
53 m (5157 m) long or 1.9 (1.72.0) anal dia-
meter, with a central lamella along 1/3 part of the
length. Gubernaculum with two dorsocaudal straight
apophyses, rod-shaped and rounded proximate end,
21 m long, with a conspicuous sclerotized median
piece in the distal part. Six to eight prominent tubu-
lar precloacal supplements, the first one is 20 m far
from the anal opening, it is 2834 m between the
first and second supplements. The other four to six
supplements are more close spaced, being separated
1118 m from one another. There is a seta anterior
of the cloaca, but in a male, four setae are found and
the fourth seta is at 100 m from the cloacal opening.
Tail conical with posterior fourth cylindrical, 107
110 m long or 3.9 (3.44.3) anal diameter, tail tip
enlarged and very weekly swollen. Three terminal
setae are 4.0 m long.
Females: females are similar in general body shape
with the males, only the body length (16412007
m) and cephalic setae (56 m) are longer than
in the males. Amphidial fovea describes a spiral of
2.5 turns, 8 m in diameter. Reproductive system
didelphicamphidelphic, ovaries opposite and out-
stretched. Spermathecae present. Vulva is located at
48.43.1% of the body length. Tail length is 4.1 anal
body diameter.
Discussion
Sabatieria mortenseni (Ditlevsen, 1921) is character-
ised by a rather slender and cylindrical body shape,
no conspicuous punctuation and lateral differentiation;
the body region of the renette cell is obviously ex-
panded; head diameter 1112 m, amphids 2.52.75
turns, 89 m in diameter or 70% of cbd; spicules
53 m in curve or 1.9 abd, tubular precloacal supple-
114
Table 8. Measurements of Sabatieria mortenseni (Ditlevsen, 1921) from the Strait of Magellan and the Beagle Channel

MALE: n=4 FEMALE: n=5

Min Max Mean SD CV Min Max Mean SD CV

BL 1512.0 1720.0 1589.8 82.2 5.2 1641.0 2007.0 1799.0 130.2 7.2
a 47.8 54.5 52.0 2.6 5.1 39.5 51.7 44.0 4.1 9.4
b 8.8 9.7 9.3 0.3 3.6 9.4 10.4 9.8 0.4 3.8
c 13.5 15.6 14.4 0.8 5.8 12.6 16.3 14.7 1.3 8.6
HD 10.7 12.0 11.1 0.5 4.8 10.1 13.0 11.9 1.0 8.2
CSL 4.0 5.9 5.0 0.7 14.0 5.0 6.0 5.5 0.4 7.2
CSL/HD (%) 37.4 49.2 44.5 4.8 10.8 43.2 50.0 46.6 2.7 5.9
abe 7.4 7.4 7.4 0.0 0.0 5.0 7.0 6.0 0.9 14.9
amph D 8.0 9.4 8.9 0.6 7.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 0.0 0.0
amph/cbd (%) 67.0 78.0 71.7 4.6 6.5 63.0 75.0 68.3 5.0 7.3
NR 92.0 99.0 94.8 2.9 3.1 98.0 108.0 102.4 4.6 4.5
NR/ph (%) 54.0 58.4 56.0 1.6 2.8 49.5 58.0 55.6 3.1 5.7
E-abe 115.0 123.0 119.0 4.0 3.4 108.0 121.0 116.7 6.1 5.3
E-abe/ph (%) 66.0 67.0 66.5 0.5 0.8 54.5 69.5 62.3 6.1 9.8
ph L 165.0 183.0 169.8 7.7 4.5 171.0 198.0 184.4 10.5 5.7
ph ebd 28.0 34.0 31.0 2.5 8.2 30.0 50.0 37.8 6.8 18.1
ph L/ph ebd 5.0 5.9 5.5 0.3 6.2 3.9 5.7 5.0 0.7 13.9
M 28.0 36.0 30.8 3.3 10.6 33.0 48.0 41.2 4.9 11.9
V 807.0 1087.0 878.0 105.6 12.0
V% 45.2 54.2 48.7 3.1 6.3
spic 50.9 56.7 53.3 2.1 4.0
abd 26.0 32.0 28.8 2.2 7.5 29.0 35.6 32.5 2.7 8.3
s0 2.0 1.9 0.1 7.6
gub L 21.1 22.4 20.8 1.1 5.2
TL 107.0 110.0 108.8 1.3 1.2 114.0 132.0 122.5 7.6 6.2
c0 3.4 4.3 3.9 0.3 8.7 3.4 4.6 4.1 0.4 9.5
spic (tip-tip) 41.0 46.2 43.9 1.9 4.4
s00 1.4 1.7 1.6 0.1 7.2

ments 68, the anterior four to six closer together; and in S. breviseta (4146 m, 1.6abd vs 33-34, 1.1
tail 3.44.6 abd with weakly swollen tip. 1.3abd).
Our specimens agree well with the description by
Ditlevsen (1921). Pastor de Ward (1984) reported a Sabatieria parabyssalis Wieser, 1954 (Figure 3DF)
conspicuous punctuation of the cuticle and a longer
body of the specimens from Argentina compared to Material studied: one female collected from station
our specimens (21212800 vs 15122007 m). This 872.
seems a big intraspecific variation, as Ditlevsen (1921)
stated he could not detect any cuticle patterns even Measurement:
with immersion lens. The precloacal supplements
could be variable between 6 and 8. 224 907 1657
Sabatieria mortenseni is close to S. breviseta Stek- 1 1794
14 38 42 33
hoven, 1935 in general appearance, however, S. a:42.7, b:8.0, c:13.1;
mortenseni has longer cephalic setae (56 vs 34
c0 :4.2; V%=50.5
m) and smaller amphids size (89 vs 1112 m);
the spicules in S. mortenseni are also longer than

Description
Female: body cylindrical with a rounded head end,
tapering towards extremities.
Head diameter is 14 m and 37% of diameter at
end of pharynx. Cuticle punctuated with weekly de-
veloped differentiation, the lateral dots slightly larger
than the sublateral ones. Cephalic sense organs in
three distinct crows, six internal labial papillae small,
six external labial papillae conspicuous, four slender
cephalic setae 11 m long, 76% of cbd. Somatic setae
4 m, scattered at the cervical region, and few setae
on the tail, 3 m long. Amphids spiral with 2.5 turns,
10 m in diameter or 65% of cbd.
Buccal cavity cup-shaped, depth and width almost
equal. The pharynx 224 m long, gradual increase in
diameter from anterior to posterior, but more expan-
ded at the end of the pharynx. Nerve ring at 121 m
from abe, or 54% of pharyngeal length. Excretory pore
at 139 m from abe, and 62% of pharyngeal length.
Cardia small.
Tail 137 m long, 4.2 anal body diameter, cyl-
indrical portion 40% of total length, tail tip slightly
swollen. Terminal setae 4 m long.
Reproductive system didelphicamphidelphic. Ovar-
ies opposite and outstretched, vulva located at 51% of
body length.
Discussion
Our specimen agrees general with Sabatieria parabyssalis
described by Wieser (1954). The only difference com-
paring the type is cephalic setae slightly longer (10 vs
9 m), the turns of the amphids (2.5 vs 2.25).
General discussion
Among the eight species of Sabatieria found from the
Strait of Magellan and the Beagle Channel, Sabatieria
furcillata and Sabatieria falcifera are the most prom-
inent ones in abundance of individuals. They have
also been recorded from the East coast of the USA,
together with S. parabyssalis (Tietjen, 1969, 1976).
Sabatieria arcuata and Sabatieria granifer are found
for the first time back after description by Wieser in
1954 from the Chilean coast. Sabatieria mortenseni is
distributed around the Auckland Islands, Brazil, Ar-
gentina, Chile and Antarctic Peninsula, but not found
in Europe or Mediterranean. Sabatieria celtica is a
species with a world-wide distribution and up to now
more than 40 records are present (Gerlach & Riemann,
115
1973; Platt, 1985), and S. celtic can thus be considered
as a cosmopolitan species.
Acknowledgements
The paper is partially financed through the University
of Ghent (Belgium) (contract BOF 98-03, 12050398)
and the Fund for Scientific Research-Flanders (FWO)
and Belgium Ministry of Science (Sustainable man-
agement of partim Antarctica, A4/DD/B01). The first
author is sincerely grateful to Prof. Dr A. Coomans
and the Marine Biology Section, University of Ghent,
Belgium, for the facilities available and financial sup-
port. Thanks to G. De Smet for sediment analyses, to
R. V. Driessche and the staff in the Laboratory for the
technical help.
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