Manunema		Contents		Rev: 05/18/2026
		Classification		Biology and Ecology
		Morphology and Anatomy		Life Cycle
Return to Manunema Menu				Ecosystem Functions and Services
		Distribution		Management
Return to Leptolaimidae Menu		Feeding		References
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Classification:

Chromadorea

  Chromadoria

       Plectida

Leptolaimoidea

Leptolaimidae

        Manunema Gerlach, 1957

Type species of the genus Manunema proboscidis Gerlach, 1957

 

    Synonyms:

Persianema annulata (Vitiello & de Coninck, 1968) Riemann, von Thun, & Lorenzen, 1971

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Morphology and Anatomy:

• Anterior body attenuated as a slender, flexible, proboscis, bent ventrally, followed by a spherical inflated region.
• Cuticle coarsely annulated; lateral alae absent or present in only one species.
• Anterior sensilla as four simple cephalic setae without socles. Somatic setae on socles, arranged in two latero-median rows on each side of the body.
• Amphidial foveae on the proboscis.
• Mouth very small, buccal cavity tight, tubular, smoothly continued to the lumen of the slender anterior pharynx.
• Posterior pharynx a double muscular bulb with a median constriction and thickened internal lining; nerve ring at the constriction of the double bulb.
• Anus on a prominent anal papilla.
• Tail elongated conical, with spinneret and caudal glands.

	Females:  Didelphic, with outstretched or antidromously reflected ovaries. Males:   Reproductive system variable or unclear. Spicules simple and curved. Precloacal tubular supplements one to three in number, or absent. Ref: Jeong and Tchesunov, 2023.      Body size range for the species of this genus in the database - Click:
Manunema cf. proboscidis, entire: (A) female; (B) male. The red arrow points connection of the vas deferens with divergence of anterior and posterior testes Scale bar: 100 µm. Drawings from Jeong and Tchesunov, 2023

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Distribution:

Specimens of the type species reported orgiginally from the Brazilian coast (Gerlach, 1957), later from the Mediterranean (describewd as Parsiana annulata) and then described in detail from Sinhyang Beach on the southeast Jeju Island, South Korea (Jeong and Tchesunov, 2023).

Other species have been described from the Mediterranean, French coast, 8-20 m deep, North Sea, Romo Island, 16 m deep, Arabian (Persian) Gulf, Kuwait Bay and Kazima Bay on intertidal sandy beach, Kuwait coast subtidal medium sand, Australia, Northern Territory, intertidal sandy beach,  North Sea, Helgoland and Romo Islands, 16-30 m deep, coarse sand, White Sea (Northern Russia), Kandalaksha Bay, 12 m deep, coarse sand (Jeong and Tchesunov, 2023).

Feeding:

Food Sources and Feeding strategies for the genus Manunema

Probably epistrate feeders in beach and ocean bottom sediment.

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Biology and Ecology:

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Life Cycle:

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Ecosystem Functions and Services:

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Management:

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References:

Jeong, R., Tchesunov, A.V. 2023. Phylogenetic Position of the Genus Manunema (Nematoda, Plectida, Leptolaimidae). Diversity 2023, 15, 914. https://doi.org/10.3390/ d1508091

Riemann, F.; von Thun, W.; Lorenzen, S. 1971. Uber den phylogenetischen Zusammenhang zwischen Desmoscolecidae und Leptolaimi dae (freilebende Nematoden). In Veröffentlichungen des Instituts fur Meeresforschung Bremerhaven; Kommissionsverlag F. Leuwer: Bremerhaven, Germany, 1971; Volume 13, pp. 147-152.

Copyright © 1999 by Howard Ferris.
Revised: May 18, 2026.