Paralamprophaea leslieae, Salazar-Vallejo, 2020

Salazar-Vallejo, Sergio I., 2020, Revision of Leocrates Kinberg, 1866 and Leocratides Ehlers, 1908 (Annelida, Errantia, Hesionidae), Zootaxa 4739 (1), pp. 1-114 : 99-102

Paralamprophaea leslieae n. sp.

Figs 58 , 59

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F2483FC9-6CEC-45B6-A6EC-95D70E0E3D0C

Leocrates diplognathus: Fauvel 1939: 285–286 (non Monro, 1926).

Type material. Kiribati. Holotype ( LACM10144 ), Phoenix Islands, Kanton Island , outer reef, Sta. 34 (02°48’57.54” S, 171°42’59.22” W), 39 m, rubble, 21 Jun. 2002, M.J. Adams, coll.

Additional material. Kiribati. One specimen ( LACM 10145, Phoenix Islands, Oroma Island (04°30’17.10” S, 178°52’57.72” W), 13 m, dead coral, 3 Jul. 2002, M.J. Adams, coll. [15 mm long, 2 mm wide]. One specimen ( UF 4030), Line Islands, Millenium Island (09°54’36.00” S, 150°12’36.00” E), dead Pocillopora sp., 12 m, 5 Nov. 2013, F. Michonneau & N. Knowlton, coll. [15 mm long, 2 mm wide]. One specimen ( UF 4043), Line Islands, Malden Island, Tent site (04°01’12.00” S, 154°55’12.00” E), dead Pocillopora sp., 10 m, 1 Nov. 2013, F. Michonneau & N. Knowlton, coll. [14 mm long, 2 mm wide]. French Polynesia. One specimen ( UF 3051), Society Islands, Moorea, off Motu Ahi, north of Afareity Pass (17°33’10.80” S, 149°46’22.80” W), reef slope, rubble, 63–70 m, 21 Jan. 2012, J. Earle, D. Pence, R. Pyle & R. Whitton, coll. [12 mm long, 2 mm wide]. One specimen ( UF 3059), Society Islands, Moorea, north of Vaire Pass, off Sofitel (17°30’15.84” S, 149°45’30.24” W), deep reef slope, rubble, 65–66 m, 26 Jan. 2012, J. Earle, D. Pence, R. Pyle & R. Whitton, coll. [resembling UF 3051 in pigmentation but slightly darker; 15 mm long, 1.5 mm wide]. Philippines. One specimen ( MNHN Musorstom 3-104), Timor Sea, Sta. 104 (13°56’ S, 120°22’ E), 13 m, 1 Jun. 1985 [17 mm long, 3 mm wide]. Christmas Island. One specimen ( BMNH 1933.10.11.21), Flying Fish Cove (10°25’18” S, 105°40’41” E), no further data, F. Harius, coll. [19 mm long, 2.5 mm wide].

Description. Holotype (LACM 0000) complete. Body obconic, tapered, wider anteriorly, wide transverse bands along body ( Fig. 58A ), interrupted intersegmentally by pale thin bands; bands with anterior and posterior margins well defined, progressively decreasing in intensity in middle and posterior chaetigers; 12 mm long, 1.8 mm wide (without parapodia); pharynx exposed, previously cut longitudinally; left parapodium of chaetiger 9 dissected (kept in container).

Prostomium as long as wide, lateral margins straight, wider anteriorly and in ocular area; pigmentation brownish, leaving pale areas, one roughly X-shaped ahead of median antenna, two ahead of anterior eyes anteriorly ta- pered, and two others behind posterior eyes continued laterally and posteriorly ( Fig. 58B ). Lateral antennae with distinct ceratophores, slightly longer than prostomium, about twice longer than palps; palpophores as long as palpostyles. Median antenna short, not reaching anterior prostomial margin, inserted between anterior eyes.

Eyes dark brown, anterior eyes twice larger, slightly emarginate anterolaterally and more separated from each other than posterior round eyes.

Nuchal organs lobes L-shaped, brownish, lateral branches barely surpassing lateral prostomial margin level, slightly swollen subdistally. Lateral ciliated bands visible dorsally. Tentacular cirri almost complete, tips eroded, longer ones reaching chaetiger 11. Lateral cushions swollen, projected, entire, longitudinal striae visible.

Peristomium with three dorsal and two ventral tubercles, dorsolateral ones hemispherical; ventral ones hemispherical.

Pharynx fully exposed ( Fig. 58C ). Anterior margin smooth. Jaws hyaline, core golden; upper jaw double, lower one transverse bar. Lateral vesicles present on both sides, small, globose. Basal pharynx ring with 1–4 series of blunt, conical papillae, lateral, under lateral vesicles, decreasing in number dorsally and ventrally, middorsal and midventral regions smooth, bare dorsal surface smaller than ventral one.

Dorsal tentacular cirri broken, as long as body width (excluding parapodia). Chaetigers 1–4 without notochaetae; notochaetae present along chaetigers 5–16, first notochaetal lobes minute, barely visible, notochaetae up to 10 per bundle, delicate, denticles fine. Notacicular lobes digitate, blunt; neuracicular lobes truncate ( Fig. 58D , inset); neurochaetae about 15 per bundle, some blades missing, blades decreasing in size ventrally, bidentate, 3–7 times longer than wide, guards approaching subdistal tooth ( Fig. 58D , inset, E).

Posterior region tapered into a blunt cone. Prepygidial segment with dorsal cirri 3–4 times longer than ventral ones. Pygidium with anus terminal, anal cirri reaching chaetiger 14.

Oocytes included in ovaries, oocytes about 80 µm each.

Etymology. This species is named after my good friend and teacher, Leslie Harris, Collection Manager of the Allan Hancock Foundation Polychaete Collection (LACM), in recognition of her sustained support during the last 40 years, and as an appreciation of her phenomenal experience with polychaetes from all over the world. She was captivated by the gorgeous specimen that became the holotype, and it is my pleasure to name this species after her. The species-group name is a noun in the genitive case ( ICZN 1999, Art. 31.1.2).

Variation. The morphological features of the species are rather conservative. However, another specimen from the type locality (UF 4030) shows smaller middorsal papillae in 2 transverse series, in its middle pharynx ring ( Fig. 59A ). The midventral surface of the same pharynx ring is smooth ( Fig. 59B, C ). The specimen from Christmas Island (BMNH 1933.10.11.21) has a similar pigmentation pattern ( Fig. 59D ) and shows three differences: first, its anterior venter surface is mottled ( Fig. 59E ); second, neuracicular lobes are round, barely projected ( Fig. 59F ), not truncate as in the type specimen; and third, neurochaetal blades are slightly shorter, 3–4 times longer than wide ( Fig. 59F , insets) than those present in other specimens. These differences, however, are not regarded as substantial for proposing a separate species.

Remarks. Paralamprophaea leslieae n. sp. resembles P. diplognatha ( Monro, 1926) n. comb. from the South China Sea by having dorsal transverse bands brownish with margins entire (rarely indented), as indicated in the key above. These two species have two main differences between them regarding the shape of the peristomial dorsolateral tubercles, and the size of papillae in the basal pharynx ring. In P. leslieae the dorsolateral tubercles are semicircular, not projected, and papillae are large, whereas in P. diplognatha tubercles are anteriorly projected, and papillae are minute.

Distribution. Kiribati, the Philippines, and Christmas Island, in coralline substrates, in 10–70 m depth.

Figures

FIGURE 58. Paralamprophaea leslieae n. sp., holotype (LACM 10144). A. Dorsal view. B. Anterior end, dorsal view, MGS. C. Same, ventral view (*: left lateral vesicle). D. Chaetiger 9, left parapodium, anterior view (insets: notacicular lobe, neurochaetal blades). E. Same, neurochaetae. Scale bars: A: 1 mm, B: 0.3 mm, C: 0.2 mm, D: 0.1 mm, E: 80 µm.

FIGURE 59. Paralamprophaea leslieae n. sp., non-type specimens. A. Specimen 15 mm long (UF 4030), anterior end, SAS. B. Same, ventral view, MGS. C. Same, SAS. D. Specimen 19 mm long (BMNH 1933.10.11.21), anterior end, dorsal view after previous longitudinal ventrolateral dissection. E. Same, anterior region, ventral view. F. Same, chaetiger 9, right parapodium, anterior view (insets: larger and smaller neurochaetal blades). Scale bars: A: 450 µm, B: 280 µm, C: 320 µm, D: 430 µm, E: 1 mm, F: 380 µm.