Epigamia magna ( Berkeley, 1923 ) Berkeley, 1923

Nygren, Arne, 2004, Revision of Autolytinae (Syllidae: Polychaeta)., Zootaxa 680, pp. 1-314 : 173-174

Epigamia magna ( Berkeley, 1923) comb. n. (Fig. 88A–E)

Autolytus magnus Berkeley, 1923: 210 , pl. 1, fig. 3–4; Berkeley & Berkeley 1938: 47; 1948: 70, fig. 101; Hartman 1948: 24; Imajima & Hartman 1964: 93 –95, fig. 18A–C; Imajima 1966: 40 –46, figs 9A–F, 10A–F, 11A–D; Pettibone 1967: 5 ; Nygren & Sundberg 2003: GenBank sequences, 16S rDNA partial sequence AF474263 , and 18S rDNA partial sequence AF474309 . Autolytus beringianus Annenkova, 1934: 323 –324, fig. 2A–B; Uschakov 1955: 173, fig. 57D–E. Autolytus caterinkae Uschakov, 1950: 180 , fig. 17A–B; 1955: 173, fig. 57A–C;? Chlebovitch 1962: 173 –174.

? Autolytus cf magnus Fauchald 1977b: 19 .

Material examined. Canada: holotype (female epitoke), USNM 32897, British Colombia, Departure Bay, swarming at surface, 23 Feb 1920. Russia: 3 syntypes of A. beringianus ZIL 1/21046, 2 spms ZIL 1/45576, ZIL 3/45577, Bering Strait, littoral, 1930–1931; 2 syntypes of A. catarinkae ZIL 2/21050, ZIL 3/21051, La Pérouse Strait, 56 m, 45°40'2"N 141°59'2"E, 28 Jun 1932. USA: 1 spm, Washington, San Juan Island, 48°32.73'N 123°00.75'W, epifauna on floating dock outside Friday Harbor laboratory, sponges, hydroids, barnacles, Jan 2001.

Diagnosis. Large orange Epigamia with c. 40–50 equal teeth; large equal cirrophores, long unequal dorsal cirrostyles; large parapodia with dorsal part enlarged.

Description. Length, in one live specimen, 22 mm for 69 chaetigers, width 1.1 mm, length in preserved specimens, 14–21 mm for 44–84 chaetigers, width 1.1–1.8 mm. Live specimens orange (Fig. 88A) with 2 pale brownish bands of bacillary glands on each segment. Preserved specimens with bacillary glands showing as 2 transverse rows of brown on each segment, and as 2 longitudinal bands running along dorsal and ventral surface of all appendages (Fig. 88B). Ciliation as 2 trochs per segment.

Eyes confluent (Fig. 88A); eye spots absent. Palps in dorsal view projecting 1/3–1/2 of prostomial length (Fig. 88A). Extension of nuchal epaulettes from end of chaetiger 3 to end of chaetiger 4 (Fig. 88A).

Median antenna reaching chaetiger 13 in live specimen (n=1). Lateral antennae and dorsal tentacular cirri, length c. 2/3 of median antenna. Ventral tentacular cirri 1/3–1/2 as long as dorsal pair. First dorsal cirri as long as median antenna, second dorsal cirri as long as ventral tentacular cirri. From chaetiger 1–27 cirri with usual alternation in direction, more posterior not possible to assess due to lost cirri. Dorsal cirri from chaetiger 3, alternate in length (Fig. 88A); short cirri equals body width, long cirri slightly longer than body width. Cirrophores present on tentacular cirri, and all dorsal cirri. Cirrophores equal, cirrostyles unequal; short cirrostyles 4/ 5 in length of long cirrostyles; cirrophores equal or slightly shorter than parapodial lobes (Fig. 88A); cirrophores shorter than cirrostyles. All appendages cylindrical.

Parapodial lobes very large, swollen dorsal to chaetigers lobe. Anterior chaetigers with 3–5 aciculae, 2–3 in median and posterior. Chaetal fascicle with up to 50 compounds in anterior chaetigers, 15–30 in median and posterior. Compound chaetae with large distal tooth (Fig. 88D, E); serration present. Single thin bayonet chaetae, beginning between chaetigers 40–50.

Pharynx with long sinuation anterior and lateral to proventricle. Trepan in chaetiger 1– 4, number and size of teeth not possible to assess. Proventricle equal in length to 5–6 segments in chaetiger 11–16 with 41–50 rows of muscle cells. Anal cirri equal in length to c. body width.

Additional information. Annenkova (1934), and Imajima (1967), gives information on the trepan; there are about 46–50 equal teeth, arranged in what appears to be 1 ring.

Reproduction. Epigamy.