Verött Inst. Meeresforsch Bremerh 18.

249 - 255 (1980)

Fram the Institut für Meeresforschung Bremerhaven

Development of
Marine Nematode Taxonomy up to 1979
Sebastian A Ger Iach

Abstract: Up to 1915 only4, and until1935 only 14 scientific papers on marine

nematodes per year had been published; the number of publications rose to
above 40 since 1970, presenting about 100 new species of marine nematodes
every year.. Before 1910, there were never more than 5 scientists publishing
papers on marine nematodes within five year periods.. Since 1960 this figure
is above 20, and since 1970, above 50 In spite of this remarkable increase of
man power in marine taxonomy, the estimated number of unkown species is
huge and many years from now will pass before they are all described In any
oceanic region with a wide spectrum of biota fram shallow to deep water one
can reckon with more than 1000 nematode species

Nematodes are the most numerous metazoan animals on the sea noor;
their biomass in the deep sea and in some brackish regions equals
macrofauna biomass, and they play important roles in the food webs
and in the productivity of the oceans,. Consequently, with increasing
interest in marine ecosystems, more and more ecological studies re-
garding marine nematodes have been conducted., But who can identify
the genera and species of freeliving nematodes? In the following pages
and graphs I will provide a short numerical review of scientists who did
work on marine nematodes in the past, and on the quantitative deve-
lopment of marine nematology.

Accepted for printing 26,.3.1980

Address of the author: Prof.. Dr.. Sebastian A Gerlach, Institut für Meeresfor-
schung, Am Handelshafen 12, D 2850 Bremerhaven, Federal Republic of
Germany
Opening address at the Second Symposium on Aquatic Nematodes, Bremer-
haven 28 - 31 May 1980,

249
 -.r N
r-
en r-
a>
n;j
Cl>
'-- >QI
E
a.J <U
by a during World War 11.After the war rate ~ ~
again to - 20 per year (Fig. 1). During the period 1971 - 1975,212
papers have been published, which is a rate of about 42 per year; the
fI
trend continues: in 1976, we registered 35, and in 1977, 52 papers.
Fig. 1 also includes the numbers of taxa described within all pentads
since 1865. These data include the marine and nonmarine Nematoda
Adenophorea without Dorylaimida. Trends are similar to trends of
papers published, reaching 125 taxa described per year in the period

120
/t'
number of papers
100
published per pentad

80

/~
~~.
60
~

\/.
40

./
20

'-. "'--.""---'-'-./
.' / ./"---/ 328 319

Tl4 265

214
196
number of taxa described
152
per pentad 122
92

1870 80 90 1900 10 20 30 l,0 50 60 70

Fig. 1: Development of aquatic nematology 1865-1975: Number of papers

published on marine nematodes, and number of taxa established for
Nematoda Adenophorea excluding Dorylaimida during periods of 5
years (pentads).

250
 -U1S~-
.
,
i'D
I
000...0..
o P'CI'
>-i;:r>-,roro;:+;":;
Cl'roNo...o...roro
-. 0 ()
cP ::::s;:r

18--Decraemer 1971.-
8~Sergeeva 1972
-
9 ",--- Bove"e 1972 -
20-Belogurov/a 1972 -
PRODUCTIVE PER IOD OF MARINE NEMATOLOGISTS 1O-Boucher 1970-
WHO PRODUCED MORE THAN 8 PUBLICATIONS 18 -WarWlck 1969-
9 0tt 1967-
11.--Hope 1967-
24-'~Vi!iello 1967-
25 -~ Lorenzen 1966-
28 -'--'- Riemann 1965-
16 -, Murphy 1963
-
20---'--Hopper 1961-
12-- -Platonova 1958-
19 Ingtis 1958-
25--- Timm 1951 -
32-_M~__- Wieser 1951
-- -
63 --Gerlach 191';9-
20 -Oe Conlnck 1930-
22 Chitwood 1931-1964
12-Schulz 1931-1951
33 - Stekhoven 1929-1956
162 AUgen 1925-1960
12 KreiS 1921.-1963
17 FilipJev 1916-1946
16 Stemer 1915-1958
12 -Oitlevsen 1911-1931
8- Schneider 1906-1927
10- Lmstow 1892-1908
40 Cobb 1890-1933
21 Oe Man 1876-1928 number ot manne nematologlsts productlve within a pentade

I 4 [ 4 I I 4 I J I 7 I 6 I 7 I 9 [ 12 I 14 I 12 I 9 I 7 I 9 [ 14 I 17 [ 20 I 23 I 48
'
1875 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970

Fig. 2: Penods of scientific productJvity of those nematologlsts who up to 1978 had published
8 and more papers on marine nematodes. The figur es at the bottom of the graph list the
N total number of nematologists who published within each pentad papers on marine
Ul
1--' nematodes aitogether.
Tab 1: Scientists who published papers on marine nematodes in the
1971-1975, and newcomers after 1976
,
Austria Ott Switzerland Altherr "t
Wieser
UK Coles
Belgium Oe Coninck Moore
Oecraemer Platt
41
Haspeslagh Ward
von der Heiden Warwick
Lippens
OE
USSR Alekseev
Bulgaria Stojkov (1976) Belogurov
U zunov Belogurova
Galtsova
Oenmark Jensen (1976) Ivanega (1976)
Malakov
France Boucher Platonova
Bovee Serge eva
Vitiello Tchesunov
Vivier Zakhidov

Germany, Brenning USA Hope

Oemocratic Murphy
Republic Nichols (1979)
Siddiqi
Germany, BIome Tietjen
Federal Freudenhammer Viglierchio
Republic Gerlach
Canada BUH
Lorenzen
Hopper
Rachor
Webster
Riemann
Schrage India Jayasree (1976)
Bangladesh Timm
Hungary Andrassy Philippines Juario
Japan Kito (1976)
Groza-Rojankowski Australia Inglis Fig
Roumania
Onciu New Zealand Yeates

252
:Jds
13

40

DEEP SEA 11

1.:>2.
:1,00
31

5)

;))

;2

6)

Fig 3-4: Geographical distribution of nematode species described prior to 1972,

from marine ecosystems. Figures show the number of valid species
and subspecies reported fram different regions of the world oceans
and coasts

253
between 1951 and 1960. After 1960, however, there were less taxa ifG
described, and not before re cent years are high numbers again achiev- ne:
ed: 111 taxa per year in the pentad 1971 - 1975, 109 in 1976,89 in thc
1977.. It is evident that the more sophisticated requirements of modern thc
taxonomy make descriptions more time consuming for taxonomists. du
for
Until about 1910, there was not one five years period with more than ye,
10 different scientists publishing on marine nematodes.. It was as late as
wo
1955 that the number of contemporary nematologists increased to 15,
and it is only 1960 that the figure increased above 20 (Fig. 2).. In the
pentad 1971 - 1975, however, not less than 50 marine nematologists
Ge
were publishing papers, and since 1976,6 more names have to be added
to the list (Table 1)
In this list, of course, scientists are included who are not continuing
taxonomie work on freeliving marine nematodes because they con-
tinue their professional careers in other fields. Für comparison, in Fig. 2
those scientists have been listed with their productive life span who
contributed 8 and more publications.. Before 1915, there were never
more than 4 scientists of this category publishing within one five years
period, prior to 1925, the number was below 6, and it did not increase
above 8 before 1965..By 1970, however, the number of regularly publish-
ing marine nematologists increased to 13, and today the compilation is
20.
The criterion chosen, 8 papers published, is highly questionable; it is
certainly not good to evaluate the quality of a scientist and the progress
of science that he contributed, by counting the mere number of his
publications But a general tendency seems to be obvious: like other
fields of seien ce, marine nematology was having a boom in the past
years.
One should, however, be realistic about this increase of manpower
in marine nematology. The number ofmarine nematode species known
is roughly 4000, but in every sampie from the sea one finds a fairly large
percentage of undescribed species, which is weil above 50 % in the deep
sea and in such geographical regions that have been poorly sampled
(Fig.3 - 4)..The number of species in weil known areas like the Medi-
terranean (637 recorded), or the North Sea (456 recorded) is probably
above 1000 It is legitimate to assurne that more than 1000 nematode
species can be encountered in any region of the world's oceans which
provides a wide spectrum ofbiotopes from shailow to deep water. Even
254
lxa if at present we have no eloser knowledge of the geographie range of
cv- nematode species, this argumentation permits an estimate that more
m than 20000 taxa of marine nematodes remain undescribed. Suppose
~rn that a diligent taxonomist could describe 200 new nematode species
sts during30 years of his professional career, that makes 4000 new species
for 20 taxonomists in 30 years It would require 5 generations or 150
lan years to describe them alL It is pleasant to know that there will be some
~as
work left over for our great-grandchildren
15,
the Reference
ists
Gedach, S A and F Riemann (1975 - 1974): The Bremerhaven checklist of
led aquatic Nematodes, a catalogue of Nematoda Adenophorea excluding
the Dorylaimida.. Veröff Inst Meeresforsch Bremerh. Suppt 4: 1 -736
mg
on-
g.2
rho
ver
~ars
ase
ish-
n lS

t is
ress
his
.her
Jast

wer
)wn
uge
leep
)led
edi-

255