Nereis heirissonensis Augener, 1913

Hadiyanto, Hadiyanto, 2023, Nereididae (Annelida: Phyllodocida) from intertidal macroalgae in Western Australia, Zootaxa 5239 (2), pp. 151-203 : 170-171

Nereis heirissonensis Augener, 1913

Fig. 10A–G

Nereis heirissonensis Augener, 1913: 159–163 , fig. 17.a–c, pl. 3, fig. 52u; Hutchings & Turvey 1982: 125–129, fig. 12.a–g.

Nereis (Nereis) heirissonensis .— Hartmann-Schröder 1983: 138, figs 27–31; Hartmann-Schröder 1984: 28.

Type locality. Shark Bay , Western Australia .

Material examined. Western Australia: Cape Keraudren , 19°57′51.30″S 119°47′16.94″E, 5 November 2020, 1 specimen ( WAM V11660 ) .

Description. A complete specimen with 66 chaetigers, body 17.9 mm long and 0.9 mm wide; cream yellow in alcohol.

Prostomium as long as wide. Eyes black, two pairs, equal sizes, in rectangular arrangement. Palps one pair, palpophores globose, palpostyles conical. Antennae one pair, as long as palps. Tentacular cirri four pairs with basal articulation, longest one extending to chaetiger 2. Pharyngeal jaws yellow translucent, curved at tips. Paragnaths translucent to reddish, conical, present on both maxillary and oral rings, arranged as follows: Area I= 0, Area II= 1, Area III= 0, Area IV= 3 in one row, Area V= 0, Area VI= 0, Areas VII–VIII= 3, small, in one widely spaced row ( Fig. 10A ).

Apodous segment slightly longer than first chaetiger. First two chaetigers uniramous. Notopodia present with digitiform dorsal and ventral ligules, dorsal ligules completely reduced in posterior chaetigers. Dorsal cirri cirriform, attached on middle of dorsal parapodia, about three times longer than ventral ligules, similar length throughout chaetigers. Neuropodia with digitiform ventral ligules, acicular ligules, and conical postchaetal lobes extending below acicular ligule tips. Ventral cirri cirriform, attached basally on ventral parapodia, as long as ventral ligules, similar length throughout chaetigers ( Fig. 10B ).

Notochaetae present with homogomph spinigers in anterior chaetigers, homogomph falcigers ( Fig. 10C–D ) from chaetiger 18. Notopodial falcigerous blades long, slightly curved at tips, with terminal and one to two large lateral teeth. Neurochaetae present with homogomph spinigers ( Fig. 10E ) and heterogomph falcigers in dorsal fascicles, heterogomph spinigers ( Fig. 10F ) and falcigers ( Fig. 10G ) in ventral fascicles. All spinigerous blades short, with fine serrations. Neuropodial falcigerous blades long, slightly curved, with fine serrations. Acicula black. Pygidium with anus on dorsal side, anal cirri cirriform, as long as last four chaetigers.

Remarks. Nereis heirissonensis has been synonymized with N. jacksoni by Fauvel (1932, 1953), Hartman (1954), Fauchald (1977), and Hartmann-Schröder (1983), but Hutchings & Turvey (1982) and Wilson (1985) assigned the former species as a distinct species. The redescription of N. jacksoni showed that this species has far more paragnaths on Areas VII–VIII (40–45 cones in 2–4 rows) and more teeth on the first notopodial homogomph falcigers ( Hutchings & Turvey 1982; Wilson 1985). Anal cirri of our specimens are shorter than those of materials examined by previous studies, extending over 7–9 chaetigers ( Augener 1913; Hutchings & Turvey 1982).

Distribution. Temperate Australia: Western Australia, South Australia ( Table 2 ).

Habitat. Intertidal, shallow waters, rocky shores ( Table 2 ).

Figures

FIGURE 10. Nereis heirissonensis Augener, 1913 (WAM V11660); A, proboscis, ventral dissection; B, parapodium, chaetiger 34, posterior view; C, notochaetae, homogomph falciger, chaetiger 39; D, notochaetae, homogomph falciger, chaetiger 56; E, neurochaetae, dorsal fascicle, homogomph spiniger, chaetiger 38; F, neurochaetae, ventral fascicle, heterogomph spiniger, chaetiger 59; G, neurochaetae, ventral fascicle, heterogomph falciger, chaetiger 12. Scale: A, 0.25 mm; B, 0.1 mm; C–G, 0.02 mm.