A species of nemertean worm discovered by a marine biologist five years ago affects the reproductive performance of Caribbean spiny lobsters, a critical species in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Antonio Baeza, an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, discovered the new worm while researching parental behaviors of the spiny lobster Panulirus argus in the Florida Keys. New research shows the worm affected embryo mortality, fecundity and reproductive output in brooding females.
