CHAPTER 7
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PARASITES OF COMMERCIALLY IMPORTANT
MARINE MOLLUSCS
THE PHYLA NEMERTINEA, ASCHELMINTHESAND ANNELIDA
I . Phylum NEMERTINEA
A number of nemerteans belonging to the genus Malacobdella have
been reported from the mantle cavities of clams. Malacobdella is the
sole genus in the order Bdellonemertea and to date six species have been
described although, as Coe (1945) has pointed out, two of these, M .
obesa and M . rnercenaria, both described by Verrill (1892b), are specifically identical with M . grossa. Hence only four recognized species
exist (Table XIV).
TABLE XIV. SPECIES OF NEMERTEANS KNOWN FROM MARINE MOLLUSCS
P, reported from Pacific coast of North America; A, reported from Atlantic
coast of North America; E, reported from Europe; J, reported from Japan;
C , reported from Chile.
Nemertean species
Host
Malacobdella grossa
Siliqua patula (P)
Mactra secta (P)
Mactra stultorum (E)
Mercenaria mercenaria (A, E)
Mercenaria campechiensis (A)
Venus praeparca (A)
Venus ezoleta (E)
M y a arenaria (A, E )
M y a truncata (E)
Pholas crispata (E)
Cyprina islandica (E)
Cardium aculeatum (E)
Isocardia cor (E)
Malacobdella japonica
Mactra sachalinensis (J)
Malacobdella auriculae
Chilina dombeiana (C)
Malacobdella minuta
Yoldia cooperi (P)
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