Haplosyllis spongicola (Grube, 1855)

Linero-Arana, Ildefonso & Diaz Diaz, Oscarn, 2011, Syllidae (Annelida, Polychaeta) from the Caribbean coast of Venezuela, ZooKeys 117, pp. 1-28 : 9-10

Haplosyllis spongicola (Grube, 1855) Figs 2.23-2.28

Syllis (Haplosyllis) spongicola Fauvel 1923:257, fig. 95 a–d.

Haplosyllis spongicola Imajima 1966:220, fig. 38 a–h.

Syllis (Haplosyllis) spongicola Day 1967:240-241, fig. l2.1. e–i.– Gardiner 1976:139, fig. 12 i–k.

Haplosyllis spongicola Uebelacker 1984:109-111, fig. 104 a–d.– San Martín 1991:233.- San Martín and Bone 2001:615.- San Martín 2003:323-325, figs. 179 –180.– Martin et al. 2003:145-162, figs. 1 –12.– Lattig et al. 2007:554-557, figs. 1 –2.– Gobin 2010 (list only).

Material examined:

BMIL598, (84); BMPL498, (36); associated with Chondrila nucula , 1-2 m depth; BMIL297, (1566); BMIL498, (607); BMPL197, (132); BMPL297, (506), all specimens associated with Aplysina fistularis , 1-3 m depth; BMIL297, (1147); (3789), BMIL397; BMIL498, (3689). BMPL297, (2852); BMPL297, (2667), BMPL398, (2808); all specimens associated with Ircinia felix , 1-2 m depth; GCPG198, (78), fine sand, 1 m depth; GCET103, (18); BMER103, (13), fine to coarse sand, 1 m depth. BMMQ205, (2), inside dead Millepora alcicornis , 1-2 m depth.

Description.

Length to 5.6 mm,width 2.4 mm. Body with up to 85 chaetigers, broad anteriorly, thinner from mid-body to pygidium. Prostomium with a pair of small eyes in trapezoidal arrangement. Median antenna with 24-33 articles, lateral antennae with 8-19 articles. Palps fused dorsally. Dorsal tentacular cirri with 18-36 articles. Anterior dorsal cirri with 7-47 articles. First cirri longer than remaining ones. Dorsal cirri of middle region alternating in length longer, with 8-16 articles, and shorter, with 4-10 articles. Ventral cirri digitiform, shorter than parapodial lobes. Two (1-3) simple and stout chaetae, with two distal teeth and main fang prominent (Figs. 2.24, 2.26) and with upper side rugose. Aciculae either with pointed tip (Fig. 2.23) or with curved end (Figs. 2.25, 2.27). Pharynx extending through 7-11 chaetigers; with 8-10 soft distal papillae, encircling middorsal tooth. Proventriculus extending through about 12 chaetigers, with 34-52 rows of muscle cells. Pygidium with a pair of long moniliform anal cirri.

Remarks.

This species is one of the most abundant syllid in the Great Caribbean region in both soft and hard bottoms ( Granados-Barba et al. 2003); Gobin (2010) pointed out that is one of the most abundant species from hard bottoms of Trinidad and Tobago. Martin et al. (2003) based on the wide variability observed within the Haplosyllis species, pointed out that the so-called Haplosyllis spongicola must be considered as a pseudo-sibling species-complex.

Distribution.

Considered cosmopolitan, although Martin et al.(2003) and Lattig et al. (2007) pointed out that records in temperate and tropical seas must be reviewed.