Prostoma jenningsi is a species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of ribbon worm known only from one site near Croston

Croston

-External links:**** chorley.gov.uk....

, Lancashire

Lancashire

Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...

. It was described in 1971, and is believed to be the county's only endemic species. It grows up to 20 mm (0.78740157480315 in) long, with 4–6 black eyespots, and has a long eversible proboscis.

Distribution

The only site where P. jenningsi has ever been found is a former clay pit

Clay pit

A clay pit is a quarry or mine for the extraction of clay, which is generally used for manufacturing pottery, bricks or Portland cement.The brickyard or brickworks is often located alongside the clay pit to reduce the transport costs of the raw material. These days pottery producers are often not...

 now used for recreational fishing

Recreational fishing

Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing, is fishing for pleasure or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is fishing for profit, or subsistence fishing, which is fishing for survival....

 between Bretherton

Bretherton

Bretherton is a small village and civil parish in the Borough of Chorley, Lancashire, England situated to the south west of Leyland and east of Tarleton. Its name suggests pre-conquest origins and its early history was closely involved with the manor house Bank Hall and the families who lived there...

 and Croston

Croston

-External links:**** chorley.gov.uk....

 in Chorley borough

Chorley (borough)

Chorley is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. It is named after its largest settlement, the town of Chorley.-Creation:...

, Lancashire. It was discovered there in 1967, and described by Ray Gibson and Johnstone O. Young in 1971. It is thought to be the only species endemic to Lancashire.

Prior to the discovery of P. jenningsi, there had only been four reports of freshwater nemerteans in the British Isles

British Isles

The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...

, in the River Cherwell

River Cherwell

The River Cherwell is a river which flows through the Midlands of England. It is a major tributary of the River Thames.The general course of the River Cherwell is north to south and the 'straight-line' distance from its source to the Thames is about...

 at Oxford

Oxford

The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...

, the River Cam

River Cam

The River Cam is a tributary of the River Great Ouse in the east of England. The two rivers join to the south of Ely at Pope's Corner. The Great Ouse connects the Cam to England's canal system and to the North Sea at King's Lynn...

 at Cambridge

Cambridge

The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...

, a tank in Regent's Park

Regent's Park

Regent's Park is one of the Royal Parks of London. It is in the north-western part of central London, partly in the City of Westminster and partly in the London Borough of Camden...

, London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, and the Grand Canal at Clondalkin

Clondalkin

-Today:Modern Clondalkin is a busy satellite town of Dublin, with a population of 43,929 in 2006. Retail facilities include Tesco Ireland- and Dunnes Stores-led shopping centres, and Aldi and Lidl stores on the Fonthill Road and New Nangor Road respectively, and the village centre is a base for...

, County Dublin

County Dublin

County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...

.

Description

Prostoma jenningsi is a slender worm, with an elliptical cross-section. Young animals are translucent white, but take on a yellowish hue as they age, eventually becoming "dark yellowish or pale reddish-brown". They are 0.5 millimetre (0.0196850393700787 in) long when they hatch, reach their aduklt colouration above 6 mm (0.236220472440945 in) and can reach up to 20 millimetre (0.78740157480315 in) long as adults. P. jenningsi has 4–6 black eyespots on the top of the head, The eversible proboscis is two-thirds to three-quarters of the body length, and is armed with one central stylet and paired pouches each containing 2–5 accessory stylets.

P. jenningsi is one of eleven species in the genus Prostoma

Prostoma

Prostoma is a genus of freshwater nemerteans, containing the following species:*Prostoma asensoriatum Montgomery, 1896*Prostoma canadiensis Gibson & Moore, 1978*Prostoma communopore Senz, 1996*Prostoma eilhardi...

, and can only be told from related species by dissection

Dissection

Dissection is usually the process of disassembling and observing something to determine its internal structure and as an aid to discerning the functions and relationships of its components....

. Uniquely, it has eleven nerve

Nerve

A peripheral nerve, or simply nerve, is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of peripheral axons . A nerve provides a common pathway for the electrochemical nerve impulses that are transmitted along each of the axons. Nerves are found only in the peripheral nervous system...

s innervating the proboscis, rather than nine or ten, as seen in other species. The specific epithet  commemorates J. B. Jennings of the University of Leeds

University of Leeds

The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...

, a scientist who studied invertebrate digestive physiology. No taxonomic synonyms

Synonym (taxonomy)

In scientific nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that is or was used for a taxon of organisms that also goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnaeus was the first to give a scientific name to the Norway spruce, which he called Pinus abies...

 are recognised.

Ecology

Prostoma jenningsi lives among the vegetation at the edges of the pond, including the plant species Juncus effusus, Elodea canadensis, Myriophyllum spicatum

Myriophyllum spicatum

Myriophyllum spicatum is a species of Myriophyllum native to Europe, Asia, and north Africa. It is a submerged aquatic plant, and grows in still or slow-moving water.-Description:...

, Phragmites communis, Potamogeton natans

Potamogeton natans

Potamogeton natans L. is an aquatic species in the genus Potamogeton native to quiet or slow-flowing freshwater habitats throughout the Holarctic Kingdom....

and Typha latifolia

Typha latifolia

Typha latifolia is a perennial herbaceous plant in the genus Typha. It is found as a native plant species in North and South America, Europe, Eurasia, and Africa...

. Its numbers vary in an annual cycle

Annual cycle

In geosciences, an annual cycle is the part of a measured quantity's fluctuation that is attributed to Earth's changing position in orbit over the course of the year. Such quantities might be influenced directly or indirectly In geosciences, an annual cycle is the part of a measured quantity's...

, with smallest numbers when vegetation growth is highest.