WoRMS name details
Nereis diversicolor O.F. Müller, 1776
339374 (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:339374)
unaccepted (superseded original combination)
Species
marine, brackish, fresh, terrestrial
recent only
Müller, O.F. (1776). Zoologiae Danicae Prodromus, seu Animalium Daniae et Norvegiae Indigenarum characters, nomina, et synonyma imprimis popularium. [Prodromus of Danish Zoology, or the characters, names, and synonyms of the indigenous animals of Denmark and Norway, especially of the popular ones.]. <em>Typis Hallageriis, Havniae.</em> 32: 1-282., available online at http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/47550
page(s): 217, no. 2624 [no figures] [details]
page(s): 217, no. 2624 [no figures] [details]
Neotype NTNU NTNU-VM82082, geounit North Sea
, Note Southern Norway Atlantic Ocean (Norway, not...
Neotype NTNU NTNU-VM82082, geounit North Sea [details]
From editor or global species database
Type locality Southern Norway Atlantic Ocean (Norway, not Denmark as may be seen in litt. Fide Bakken & Wilson, 2005:525). Teixeira et al. (2022: 18 of 40) established a neotype based on a specimen from the coast near Grimstad, southern Norway, North Sea 58.298° N, 8.539° E. [details]
Nomenclature As noted by Fauchald nearly 40 years ago (guide to genera, 1977:85), the experimental and ecological literature were then...
Distribution Gulf of St. Lawrence to Puerto Rico
Taxonomy Moved to different genus
Nomenclature As noted by Fauchald nearly 40 years ago (guide to genera, 1977:85), the experimental and ecological literature were then incorrectly using the combination Nereis diversicolor, when Hediste diversicolor is the valid name. Currently there is wide awareness that the name is Hediste diversicolor, but some field & experimental biologists continue to use the invalid name, Nereis diversicolor or other constructs such as Nereis (Hediste) diversicolor. [details]
Distribution Gulf of St. Lawrence to Puerto Rico
Distribution Gulf of St. Lawrence to Puerto Rico [details]
Taxonomy Moved to different genus
Taxonomy Moved to different genus [details]
Read, G.; Fauchald, K. (Ed.) (2026). World Polychaeta Database. Nereis diversicolor O.F. Müller, 1776. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=339374 on 2026-01-12
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Nomenclature
original description
Müller, O.F. (1776). Zoologiae Danicae Prodromus, seu Animalium Daniae et Norvegiae Indigenarum characters, nomina, et synonyma imprimis popularium. [Prodromus of Danish Zoology, or the characters, names, and synonyms of the indigenous animals of Denmark and Norway, especially of the popular ones.]. <em>Typis Hallageriis, Havniae.</em> 32: 1-282., available online at http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/47550
page(s): 217, no. 2624 [no figures] [details]
new combination reference Hartman, Olga. (1960). [On account of the nereid worm, <i>Neanthes diversicolor</i>, new combination in the Caspian Sea and its more extensive distribution]. <em>Akademiya Nauk SSSR.</em> 39(1): 35-39.
page(s): 35-39, figs. 1-7; note: as Neanthes diversicolor [details] Available for editors
[request]
page(s): 217, no. 2624 [no figures] [details]
new combination reference Hartman, Olga. (1960). [On account of the nereid worm, <i>Neanthes diversicolor</i>, new combination in the Caspian Sea and its more extensive distribution]. <em>Akademiya Nauk SSSR.</em> 39(1): 35-39.
page(s): 35-39, figs. 1-7; note: as Neanthes diversicolor [details] Available for editors
[request]Taxonomy
taxonomy source
Ehlers, E. H. (1868). Die Borstenwürmer (Annelida Chaetopoda) nach systematischen und anatomischen Untersuchungen dargestellt. <em>Wilhelm Engelmann, Leipzig.</em> 2: 269-748, plates XII-XXIV., available online at http://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/1985162
page(s): 554 [includes synonymising Hediste diversicolor to original combination] [details]
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): 152-154 [several nereidid names are synonymised to N.diversicolor] [details]
taxonomy source Teixeira, Marcos A. L.; Bakken, Torkild; Vieira, Pedro E.; Langeneck, Joachim; Sampieri, Bruno R.; Kasapidis, Panagiotis; Ravara, Ascensão; Nygren, Arne; Costa, Filipe O. (2022). The curious and intricate case of the European <i>Hediste diversicolor</i> (Annelida, Nereididae) species complex, with description of two new species. <em>Systematics and Biodiversity.</em> 20(1): 2116124: 1-40., available online at https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14772000.2022.2116124 [details] Available for editors [request]
source of synonymy Malmgren, A.J. (1867). Annulata Polychaeta Spetsbergiæ, Grœnlandiæ, Islandiæ et Scandinaviæ. Hactenus Cognita. Ex Officina Frenckelliana, Helsingforslæ. 127 pp. & XIV plates., available online at http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/13358 [details]
page(s): 554 [includes synonymising Hediste diversicolor to original combination] [details]
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): 152-154 [several nereidid names are synonymised to N.diversicolor] [details]
taxonomy source Teixeira, Marcos A. L.; Bakken, Torkild; Vieira, Pedro E.; Langeneck, Joachim; Sampieri, Bruno R.; Kasapidis, Panagiotis; Ravara, Ascensão; Nygren, Arne; Costa, Filipe O. (2022). The curious and intricate case of the European <i>Hediste diversicolor</i> (Annelida, Nereididae) species complex, with description of two new species. <em>Systematics and Biodiversity.</em> 20(1): 2116124: 1-40., available online at https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14772000.2022.2116124 [details] Available for editors
[request]source of synonymy Malmgren, A.J. (1867). Annulata Polychaeta Spetsbergiæ, Grœnlandiæ, Islandiæ et Scandinaviæ. Hactenus Cognita. Ex Officina Frenckelliana, Helsingforslæ. 127 pp. & XIV plates., available online at http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography/13358 [details]
Other
additional source
Fabricius, O. (1780). Fauna Groenlandica, systematice sistens animalia groenlandiae occidentalis hactenus indagata, quoad nomen specificium, triviale, vernaculumque, synonyma auctorum plurimum, descriptionem, locum, victum, generationem, mores, usum capturamque singuli, pro ut detegendi occasio fuit, maximaque parte secundum proprias observationes. [Fauna Greenland, systematically presenting the animals of Western Greenland so far investigated, as to the specific name, trivial, vernacular, synonyms of the authors for the most part, description, place, life, generation, manners, use and catch of each one, as there was an opportunity to discover, and for the most part according to personal observations.]. <em>Hafniae [= Copenhagen] & Lipsiae [= Leipzig], Ioannis Gottlob Rothe.</em> xvi + 452 pp., 1 pl., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/13442285
page(s): 291 [synonymy incl "Scolopendra marina"] [details]
additional source Örsted, Anders Sandoe. (1843). Grönlands Annulata dorsibranchiata. <em>Det Kongelige Danske videnskabernes selskabs. Naturvidenskabelige og mathematiske afhandlinger.</em> 10 (series 4): 153-216. 8 plates., available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/13597198
page(s): 176-177 [details]
page(s): 291 [synonymy incl "Scolopendra marina"] [details]
additional source Örsted, Anders Sandoe. (1843). Grönlands Annulata dorsibranchiata. <em>Det Kongelige Danske videnskabernes selskabs. Naturvidenskabelige og mathematiske afhandlinger.</em> 10 (series 4): 153-216. 8 plates., available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/13597198
page(s): 176-177 [details]
Present Present in aphia/obis/gbif/idigbio Inaccurate Introduced: alien Containing type locality
Neotype NTNU NTNU-VM82082, geounit North Sea [details]
From editor or global species database
Diagnosis Original diagnosis by O.F. Müller (1776: 217): "subdepressa, pedibus acuminatis setiferis." [details]Neotype NTNU-VM82082, Norway, North Sea, coastal near Grimstad, 58.298°, 8.539°, (58 17'52.8"N, 8 32'20.4"E), low tide, muddy sand and gravel, collected by Eivind Oug. Held at Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet Vitenskapmuseet, Trondheim. Established by Teixeira, Bakken et al. (2022) with the following explanation: "Müller (1776) provided a short and vague diagnosis of the species, based on previous records referring to material from Denmark (likely, Copenhagen) and western Norway (Strom, 1762), with no illustrations. [...] Müller kept a large collection of specimens (Anker, 1950), but no original material is presently known to exist [...so] we find it reasonable to select a specimen [...] collected in the North European Sea (Norway), as neotype" See also Salazar-Vallejo et al (2021). [details]
Nomenclature As noted by Fauchald nearly 40 years ago (guide to genera, 1977:85), the experimental and ecological literature were then incorrectly using the combination Nereis diversicolor, when Hediste diversicolor is the valid name. Currently there is wide awareness that the name is Hediste diversicolor, but some field & experimental biologists continue to use the invalid name, Nereis diversicolor or other constructs such as Nereis (Hediste) diversicolor. [details]
Type locality Southern Norway Atlantic Ocean (Norway, not Denmark as may be seen in litt. Fide Bakken & Wilson, 2005:525). Teixeira et al. (2022: 18 of 40) established a neotype based on a specimen from the coast near Grimstad, southern Norway, North Sea 58.298° N, 8.539° E. [details]
Unreviewed
Distribution Gulf of St. Lawrence to Puerto Rico [details]Habitat intertidal, infralittoral and circalittoral of the Gulf and estuary [details]
Taxonomy Moved to different genus [details]
| Language | Name | |
|---|---|---|
| German | Seeringelwurm | [details] |
