Hodor hodor, hodor, 2019

Bonifácio, Paulo & Menot, Lénaïck, 2019, New genera and species from the Equatorial Pacific provide phylogenetic insights into deep-sea Polynoidae (Annelida), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 185, pp. 555-635 : 598-600

HODOR HODOR SP. NOV.

( FIG. 12A–H; TABLES 1, 2)

Type material: Holotype, MNHN-IA-TYPE 1825 ( IFR655-2 - 1 ), complete, length 11.35 mm, width 1.68 mm, 24 segments (including tentacular segment), Equatorial Eastern Pacific Ocean , Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone, APEI#3 , station 192, collected 21 April 2015, epibenthic sledge epi-net, start 18°44.807′N, 128°21.874′W, end 18°45.338′N, 128°20.418′W, 4821– 4820 m depth, 2799 m trawling distance.

Description (based on holotype): Holotype complete, 11.35 mm long and 1.68 mm wide for 24 segments (including tentacular segment), dorsoventrally flattened, posteriorly tapering; colour of live animal not known; ethanol-preserved specimen pale white ( Fig. 12A).

Prostomium bilobed, about as long as wide, lobes subtriangular, poorly developed, anteriorly tapering into blunt peaks, extending until superior lip; frontal filaments absent; median notch between prostomial lobes narrow and shallow ( Fig. 12C); eyes absent; a pair of internal white ganglia visible through translucent epidermis, dorsolaterally located on prostomium. Median and lateral antennae absent. Palps smooth, tapering, very long (reaching segment 9), inserted on large, rounded palpophores ( Fig. 12C). Facial tubercle absent.

Tentacular segment fused to prostomium, well developed, with a pair of short lobes, inserted laterally and slightly below prostomium; without acicula or chaetae; tentaculophores large, bulbous, equal sized; dorsal tentacular style smooth, tapering, short (reaching segment 4); ventral tentacular style missing ( Fig. 12C). Pharynx not everted. Second segment with elytrophores, subbiramous parapodia, chaetae and ventral cirri.

Nine pairs of large, globular elytrophores ( Fig. 12B, D) present on segments 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 and 17 (all elytra missing); with dorsal cirrophores on last segments.

Cirrigerous segments with large, bulbous dorsal cirrophores ( Fig. 12B), inserted subdistally on notopodia; styles missing.

Segments 6 and 8 with large, swollen dorsal structure ( Fig. 12A, B), located basally to cirrophores, interiorly whitish; smaller on segment 6, bigger on segment 8. Dorsal tubercles absent.

Ventral cirri smooth, tapering, present from segment 2 to last segment; inserted basally on neuropodia of segment 2, style long (longer than tip of neuroacicular lobe); in subsequent segments inserted medially on neuropodia ( Fig. 12D), style short (shorter than tip of neuroacicular lobe).

Parapodia subbiramous; notopodia reduced, much short than neuropodia ( Fig. 12D). Notopodia arising from the dorsum as two thickened ridges; narrow, subtriangular, tapering into long acicular lobe, tip of notoacicula not penetrating epidermis. Neuropodia large, rectangular to subtriangular, tapering into long acicular lobe, tip of neuroacicula not penetrating epidermis. Notochaetae variable in number (one to 16 observed), long, slender, slightly curved with distinct, faint spinous rows on convex side, with blunt tips preceded by subdistally smooth margin ( Fig. 12E); notochaetae more slender than neurochaetae. Neurochaetae of two types: (1) moderate in number (12–28 observed), long to very long, distally flattened to concave, serrated along both margins, with pointed tips ( Fig. 12F); and (2) middle and lower group on segments 3–7 modified, moderate in number (16 observed), stouter, short to long, distally flattened to concave, with coarse spines along both margins, spines concentrated basally and well spaced later, middle part with smooth margins (most of or less of their length), subdistally smooth or with one or two spines, blunt tip, tip margin slightly lighter ( Fig. 12G, H).

Nephridial papillae present on segments 11, 12 and 13, small, bulbous. Last segment very reduced. Pygidium rounded, not enclosed by last segment; with terminal anus ( Fig. 12A). Anal cirri lost, scars not seen.

Remarks: Hodor hodor gen. nov., sp. nov. presents many similarities with Hodor anduril gen. nov., sp. nov., including the number of segments, prostomium and parapodial shape, chaetae and number of nephridial papillae pairs. However, the palps in Hodor hodor gen. nov., sp. nov. are longer (reaching segment 9) than the palps in Hodor anduril gen. nov., sp. nov. (reaching segment 2). Furthermore, the average K2P distance between these species was 14.2% for COI and 6.1% for 16S. Interestingly, the morphological variation observed in Hodor anduril gen. nov., sp. nov. specimens could also indicate some dissimilarity within Hodor hodor gen. nov., sp. nov. specimens, which will necessitate care in the identification of any further specimens. In addition, both species have overlapping distribution in APEI#3.

Etymology: This species is dedicated to Hodor , one of P.B.’s favourite characters in the novel ‘ A song of ice and fire ’ by George R. R. Martin.

Genetic data: DNA sequencing for this species was successful for COI, 16S and 18S.

Distribution: Only one specimen was sampled at a single station within the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone in APEI#3 area (type locality).