WoRMS name details
Nereis caerulea Linnaeus, 1758
329615 (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:329615)
uncertain > taxon inquirendum (indeterminable from description)
Species
marine, brackish, fresh, terrestrial
recent only
Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. <em>Editio decima, reformata [10th revised edition], vol. 1: 824 pp. Laurentius Salvius: Holmiae.</em> , available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/726886
page(s): 654 [details] Available for editors
[request]
page(s): 654 [details] Available for editors
[request]
Note World Ocean various. The locations from...
From editor or global species database
Type locality World Ocean various. The locations from Linnaeus's sources are Holland, Jamaica, and China. The Hartman catalogue has the locality as Sweden, but this is wrong. Linnaeus gave the location as "in Oceano" [details]
Status The Nereis caerulea name has been little used in the past. Johnston (1865: 155) described it (no figure) and synonymised...
Taxonomy Linnaeus used these four sources as a basis for Nereis caerulea. Using them no one could identify what the worm was. The...
Status The Nereis caerulea name has been little used in the past. Johnston (1865: 155) described it (no figure) and synonymised Nereis margaritacea to it, seemingly assuming two indeterminable species names were applicable to the same species. Johnston wrote: "From great unwillingness to delete the nomenclature of our older authors, and because Leach appears to have had no precise idea of his N. margaritacea, and the name has been variously applied, I gladly venture to affix to this species a Linnaean name, more appropriate than Leach's, and which nothing in the Linnaean description contra-indicates." Johnston's usage does not seem to have been adopted subsequently, not surprising given the speculation and lack of a figure, and consequently what the Linnaean Nereis caerulea was will remain a mystery. This is not surprising given Linnaeus's sources were reports from different world locations, and there is no possibility that they were reports of the same species. [details]
Taxonomy Linnaeus used these four sources as a basis for Nereis caerulea. Using them no one could identify what the worm was. The...
Taxonomy Linnaeus used these four sources as a basis for Nereis caerulea. Using them no one could identify what the worm was. The locations are Holland, China, Jamaica. and unknown:
(1) Mus. Ad. Fr. 1. p. 93. Nereis tentaculorum 184 paribus. [= A museum catalogue? The editor does not known what this document is]
(2) Chinens. Lagerstr. 38. Nereis caerulea. [= A thesis "Sistens Chinensia Lagerstromiana" by Johannes Laurentius Odhelius, a student of Linnaeus. Nereis caerulea is described in 11 Latin words (no figure) and Odhelius cites (1). Location = 'China']
(3) Seb. mus. 1. p. 132. t 82. f. 3. [= Albertus Seba, "Locupletissimi rerum naturalium thesauri ...", description of a Millepieds de Mer, no figure. Location = 'coast of Holland']
(4) Brown. jam. 395. t. 39. f. 1. [= Patrick Browne 1756 "The civil and natural history of Jamaica" Browne's figure is an unidentifiable polychaete worm. He uses only the genus name Nereis. Location = Jamaica] [details]
(1) Mus. Ad. Fr. 1. p. 93. Nereis tentaculorum 184 paribus. [= A museum catalogue? The editor does not known what this document is]
(2) Chinens. Lagerstr. 38. Nereis caerulea. [= A thesis "Sistens Chinensia Lagerstromiana" by Johannes Laurentius Odhelius, a student of Linnaeus. Nereis caerulea is described in 11 Latin words (no figure) and Odhelius cites (1). Location = 'China']
(3) Seb. mus. 1. p. 132. t 82. f. 3. [= Albertus Seba, "Locupletissimi rerum naturalium thesauri ...", description of a Millepieds de Mer, no figure. Location = 'coast of Holland']
(4) Brown. jam. 395. t. 39. f. 1. [= Patrick Browne 1756 "The civil and natural history of Jamaica" Browne's figure is an unidentifiable polychaete worm. He uses only the genus name Nereis. Location = Jamaica] [details]
Read, G.; Fauchald, K. (Ed.) (2024). World Polychaeta Database. Nereis caerulea Linnaeus, 1758. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=329615 on 2024-04-23
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original description
Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. <em>Editio decima, reformata [10th revised edition], vol. 1: 824 pp. Laurentius Salvius: Holmiae.</em> , available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/726886
page(s): 654 [details] Available for editors [request]
taxonomy source Johnston, G. (1865). A catalogue of the British non-parasitical worms in the collection of the British Museum. <em>[book].</em> 1-365. British Museum. London. [See also separate entry for Baird supplement]., available online at http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/12291
page(s): 154; note: record for Falmouth, description, no figure, and with Nereis margaritacea as a synonym [details]
additional source Browne, P. (1756). The civil and natural history of Jamaica :in three parts. In three dissertations. The whole illustrated with fifty copper-plates : in which the most curious productions are represented of the natural size, and delineated immediately from the objects. , available online at http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/10826
page(s): 395, plate 39, figure 1; note: One of Linnaeus's (1758) sources for Nereis caerulea. Browne only uses the genus name [details]
additional source Linnaeus, C. (1761). Fauna Suecica sistens Animalia Sueciae Regni: Distributa per Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, cum Differentiis Specierum, Synonymis Auctorum, Nominibus Incolarum, Locis Natalium, Descriptionibus insectorum. <em>Editio altera, auctior. Stockholmiae, Stockhom, Sweden.</em> 48:1-578. [Copepoda Monoculus, :497-499]., available online at http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/100333
page(s): 508, item 2095; note: habitat Oceano, but presumably may be used as a record for Sweden. [details]
additional source Odhelius, J.L. & C. Linnaeus. (1754). Specimen academicum, sistens Chinensia Lagerströmiana. <em>[thesis of Linnaeus disciple].</em> Holmiae. (N_ LXI: 230)., available online at https://books.google.co.uk/books?vid=BL:A0021724630&hl=en
page(s): p. 38; note: description in 11 Latin words (no figure) of Nereis caerulea [details]
page(s): 654 [details] Available for editors
[request] taxonomy source Johnston, G. (1865). A catalogue of the British non-parasitical worms in the collection of the British Museum. <em>[book].</em> 1-365. British Museum. London. [See also separate entry for Baird supplement]., available online at http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/12291
page(s): 154; note: record for Falmouth, description, no figure, and with Nereis margaritacea as a synonym [details]
additional source Browne, P. (1756). The civil and natural history of Jamaica :in three parts. In three dissertations. The whole illustrated with fifty copper-plates : in which the most curious productions are represented of the natural size, and delineated immediately from the objects. , available online at http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/10826
page(s): 395, plate 39, figure 1; note: One of Linnaeus's (1758) sources for Nereis caerulea. Browne only uses the genus name [details]
additional source Linnaeus, C. (1761). Fauna Suecica sistens Animalia Sueciae Regni: Distributa per Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, cum Differentiis Specierum, Synonymis Auctorum, Nominibus Incolarum, Locis Natalium, Descriptionibus insectorum. <em>Editio altera, auctior. Stockholmiae, Stockhom, Sweden.</em> 48:1-578. [Copepoda Monoculus, :497-499]., available online at http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/100333
page(s): 508, item 2095; note: habitat Oceano, but presumably may be used as a record for Sweden. [details]
additional source Odhelius, J.L. & C. Linnaeus. (1754). Specimen academicum, sistens Chinensia Lagerströmiana. <em>[thesis of Linnaeus disciple].</em> Holmiae. (N_ LXI: 230)., available online at https://books.google.co.uk/books?vid=BL:A0021724630&hl=en
page(s): p. 38; note: description in 11 Latin words (no figure) of Nereis caerulea [details]
From editor or global species database
Status The Nereis caerulea name has been little used in the past. Johnston (1865: 155) described it (no figure) and synonymised Nereis margaritacea to it, seemingly assuming two indeterminable species names were applicable to the same species. Johnston wrote: "From great unwillingness to delete the nomenclature of our older authors, and because Leach appears to have had no precise idea of his N. margaritacea, and the name has been variously applied, I gladly venture to affix to this species a Linnaean name, more appropriate than Leach's, and which nothing in the Linnaean description contra-indicates." Johnston's usage does not seem to have been adopted subsequently, not surprising given the speculation and lack of a figure, and consequently what the Linnaean Nereis caerulea was will remain a mystery. This is not surprising given Linnaeus's sources were reports from different world locations, and there is no possibility that they were reports of the same species. [details]Taxonomy Linnaeus used these four sources as a basis for Nereis caerulea. Using them no one could identify what the worm was. The locations are Holland, China, Jamaica. and unknown:
(1) Mus. Ad. Fr. 1. p. 93. Nereis tentaculorum 184 paribus. [= A museum catalogue? The editor does not known what this document is]
(2) Chinens. Lagerstr. 38. Nereis caerulea. [= A thesis "Sistens Chinensia Lagerstromiana" by Johannes Laurentius Odhelius, a student of Linnaeus. Nereis caerulea is described in 11 Latin words (no figure) and Odhelius cites (1). Location = 'China']
(3) Seb. mus. 1. p. 132. t 82. f. 3. [= Albertus Seba, "Locupletissimi rerum naturalium thesauri ...", description of a Millepieds de Mer, no figure. Location = 'coast of Holland']
(4) Brown. jam. 395. t. 39. f. 1. [= Patrick Browne 1756 "The civil and natural history of Jamaica" Browne's figure is an unidentifiable polychaete worm. He uses only the genus name Nereis. Location = Jamaica] [details]
Type locality World Ocean various. The locations from Linnaeus's sources are Holland, Jamaica, and China. The Hartman catalogue has the locality as Sweden, but this is wrong. Linnaeus gave the location as "in Oceano" [details]
