PEET: The Phylum Nemertea and Morphological and Molecular Phylogenetic Studies and Electronic Media

Nemerteans是常见和重要的掠食性蠕虫，约有1200种已描述的物种占据了广泛的水生栖息地。它们的生物学特性具有普遍和药理学意义，在动物多样化理论中占有突出地位。然而，它们却被广泛地忽视了，因为即使在非常广泛的层面上进行识别也很困难。这些蠕虫几乎没有可以可靠地用来区分它们的外部特征。到目前为止，nemertean分类学主要是基于通过组织学连续切片重建内部解剖。然而，切片标本的参考收藏还不完善。确定内部人通常是一个长期和劳动密集型的过程，依赖于先前工作的不确定记录。在这个群体中，现在很少有专家活跃起来。被命名的物种只占被认为现存物种的不到四分之一。在这一PEET提案中，Diana Lipscomb和同事将通过描述新物种、重建物种间的系统发育关系、升级世界上最大的nemerteans组织学参考资料集、开发一个计算机化的nemertean信息系统来改善nemertean的分类状况，该系统将文本、数据和图像文件连接起来，并通过万维网和CD-ROM提供。这项研究将促进全世界内默特研究人员之间的巢式合作，并将在项目过程中培训三名新的内默特分类学家，使他们掌握开发和应用于这些蠕虫的现代方法。

9712463 LIPSCOMB Nemerteans are common and important predatory worms, with ca. 1200 described species occupying a wide range of aquatic habitats. Their biological attributes are of general and pharmacological interest and figure prominently in theories of animal diversification. Yet they are widely ignored because identification, even to very broad levels, is difficult. These worms have few external features that can be used reliably to tell them apart. Until now, nemertean taxonomy has been based largely on reconstruction of internal anatomy via histological serial sectioning. However, reference collections of sectioned specimens are poorly developed. Identifying a nemertean is usually a long and labor-intensive process dependent on an uncertain record of prior work. Few experts in this group are now active. The named species represent less than a quarter of those thought to be extant. In this PEET proposal, Diana Lipscomb and colleagues will improve the state of nemertean taxonomy by describing new species, reconstructing phylogenetic relationships among the species, upgrading the worldOs largest reference collection of histologically sectioned nemerteans, and developing a computerized nemertean information system linking text, data, and image files and available via the World Wide Web and CD-ROM. The research will promote nested collaborations among nemertean researchers worldwide, and will train three new nemertean taxonomists in modern methods developed and applied to these worms during the course of the project.