Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 22, 2026

Paraspadella

Paraspadella is a genus of chaetognaths in the family Spadellidae. Paraspadella was originally considered as Spadella before a revision separated that genus into three genera: Spadella, Paraspadella, and Gephyrospadella, the last of which is now synonymised to Paraspadella. The initial division was based on previous knowledge of three groups of Spadella, in a similar manner in which Sagitta was divided into a family of genera. Paraspadella is differentiated from Spadella by the presence of disparate (digital) adhesive organs, present in the former to various degrees, but entirely absent in the latter.

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Paraspadella
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chaetognatha
Class: Sagittoidea
Order: Phragmophora
Family: Spadellidae
Genus: Paraspadella
von Salvini-Plawen, 19861

Paraspadella is a genus of chaetognaths in the family Spadellidae. Paraspadella was originally considered as Spadella before a revision separated that genus into three genera: Spadella, Paraspadella, and Gephyrospadella,1 the last of which is now synonymised to Paraspadella.2 The initial division was based on previous knowledge of three groups of Spadella, in a similar manner in which Sagitta was divided into a family of genera.3 Paraspadella is differentiated from Spadella by the presence of disparate (digital) adhesive organs, present in the former to various degrees, but entirely absent in the latter.1

Species

  • Paraspadella anops Bowman & Bieri, 19892
  • Paraspadella caecafea (von Salvini-Plawen, 1986)1
  • Paraspadella gotoi Casanova, 19904
  • Paraspadella johnstoni (Mawson, 1944)5
  • Paraspadella legazpichessi (Alvariño, 1981)6
  • Paraspadella nana (Owre, 1963)7
  • Paraspadella pimukatharos (Alvariño, 1987)8
  • Paraspadella pulchella (Owre, 1963)7
  • Paraspadella schizoptera (Conant, 1895)9
  • Paraspadella sheardi (Mawson, 1944)5
References

References

  1. von Salvini-Plawen, L. (1986). Systematic notes on Spadella and on the Chaetognatha in general. Zeitschrift für Zoologische Systematik und Evolutionsforschung, 24(2), 122–128.
  2. Bowman, T. & Bieri, R. (1989). Paraspadella anops, new species, from Sagittarius Cave, Grand Bahama Island, the second troglobitic chaetognath. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 102(3), 586–589.
  3. Tokioka, T. (1965). The taxonomical outline of Chaetognatha. Publications of the Seto Marine Biological Laboratory, 12(5), 335–357.
  4. Casanova, J. (1990). A new species of Paraspadella (Chaetognatha) from the coastal waters of Japan. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 103(4), 907–912.
  5. Mawson, P. M. (1944). Some species of the chaetognath genus Spadella from New South Wales. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia, 68, 327–333.
  6. Alvariño, A. (1981). Spadella legazpichessi, a new benthic chaetognath from Enewetak, Marshall Islands. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 94, 107–121.
  7. Owre, H. B. (1963). The genus Spadella (Chaetognatha) in the western North Atlantic Ocean with descriptions of two new species. Bulletin of Marine Science, 13, 378–390.
  8. Alvariño, A. (1987). Spadella pimukatharos, a new benthic chaetognath from Santa Catalina Island, California. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 100, 125–133.
  9. Conant, F. S. (1895). Description of two new chaetognaths: Spadella schizoptera and Sagitta hispida. Johns Hopkins University Circulars, 14(119), 77–78.