Two new marine nematode species are described from intertidal sediments
in Southern New Zealand. Setosabatieria australis sp. nov. is
characterised by an amphideal fovea with 3.5 turns. 7-9 small
pre-cloacal supplements, and 2-5 sub-cephalic setae per file.
Setosabatieria australis sp. nov. differs from all known species of the
genus in having, L-shaped spicules with a hollow median region. in
contrast to the typical curved shape. Desmolaimus courti sp. nov. is
characterised by the presence of four long (15 mu m) cephalic setae,
two cuticularised rings in the buccal cavity. and a lightly
cuticularised pharyngeal lumen. It differs from other species of the
genus by having eight sub-cephalic setae. A total of 116 marine species
are included in the checklist of New Zealand free-living nematodes.
with the majority of records from the coast of Campbell and Auckland
islands front the early part of the 20th century. Most records were
from habitats such as seaweed or sponge, which may explain the high
proportion (> 50%) of cosmopolitan species recorded in New Zealand to
date. Little is known about the sediment nematode fauna. particularly
in deeper waters (> 120 m), from where there are no records to date.