Flabelligera nuniezi, Salazar-Vallejo, 2012

Salazar-Vallejo, Sergio I., 2012, Revision of Flabelligera Sars, 1829 (Polychaeta: Flabelligeridae) 3203, Zootaxa 3203 (1), pp. 1-64 : 25-27

Flabelligera nuniezi n. sp.

Figure 9

Flabelligera affinis: Gravier & Dantan 1928:159–160 ; Kirkegaard 1959:39 (non Sars, 1829). Type material. Mediterranean Sea. Holotype (MNHN-1530), Algiers Harbor, Algeria, swimming by night, attracted to a light, 1 Feb. 1926. Paratypes (MNHN-1531), two juveniles, Pointe Pescade, Algiers, Algeria, swimming by night, attracted to a light, 10 Feb. 1926 (8.5–10.0 mm long, 1.0–1.8 mm wide, cephalic cage 1 mm long, 37–38 chaetigers).

Additional material. Northeastern Atlantic Ocean. One specimen ( MNHN-457 ) complete, with external tunic layer removed, Le Croisic, France, 7 May 1925 . Two specimens ( ZMUC-1792 ) damaged, Los Cristianos, Canary Islands , low water, 15–30 Apr. 1947, G. Thorson, coll.

Description. Holotype (MNHN-1530) slightly damaged, most tunic removed, with a longitudinal dorsal dissection ( Fig. 9A, B ); body yellowish, truncate anteriorly, tapering posteriorly; 9.5 mm long, 2.5 mm wide, cephalic cage 2 mm long, 32 chaetigers. Tunic thick, transparent, leaving chaetal tips uncovered.

Cephalic hood not exposed. Prostomium low cone; eyes dark brown. Caruncle well developed, wide, exceeding the branchial plate margin, distally rounded. Palps slightly darker and 4–5 times thicker than branchiae, slightly longer than branchiae; palps bases rounded, elevated. Lateral lips well developed, dorsal and ventral lips reduced.

Branchiae in two lateral groups, each with filaments in concentric rows, each group with about 60 filaments. Longest branchiae about 2/3 as long as palps. Nephridial lobes not seen.

Cephalic cage damaged, chaetae about 1/5 as long as body length, slightly longer than body width. Chaetiger 1 involved in the cephalic cage, about 28 noto- and 30 neurochaetae per side. Anterior chaetigers without especially long papillae. Chaetiger 1 longer than chaetigers 2–3. Transition from cephalic cage chaetae to body chaetae abrupt, chaetiger 2 with thick, anchylosed neurohooks. Gonopodial lobes present in chaetigers 5–6; rounded, whitish, low ( Fig. 9C ).

Parapodia well developed, lateral; median neuropodia ventrolateral. Notopodia low, projected lobes, basally rounded, distally foliose, truncate, without different papillae. Neuropodia projected, conical lobes, without different papillae. Noto- and neuropodia widely separated.

Median notochaetae arranged in short transverse rows; all notochaetae multiarticulated capillaries, as long as half body width, 6–7 per bundle, articles ill-defined basally, then short, progressively longer medially and distally. Neurochaetae multiarticulated capillaries in chaetiger 1; non-multiarticulated neurohooks from chaetiger 2, larger in median chaetigers ( Fig. 9D ), smaller in posterior chaetigers ( Fig. 9E ). Handle anchylosed in most chaetigers; nontype specimens with a single articulation ( Fig. 9F ), weakly defined articles, about nine long, anchylosed articles and a single, better defined articulation. Crest as wide as handle, dark brown along the body, with pigmented area extending towards the base; width:length ratio 1:4–5.

Posterior end rounded; pygidium with anus terminal, without anal cirri.

Variation. The paratypes are juveniles; their neurohooks have only 1–2 articles in the handle, which are better observed in less pigmented hooks, such as those present in the first few anterior or in posterior chaetigers. The other specimens are larger but damaged. Their neurochaetae are darker with pigment concentrated in the core of the crest and in the anchylosed articulations. Some neurohooks have a single, distinctive, articulation, but in most other neurohooks, a slight darker stain is the only trace of articulation.

Etymology. The specific name is after Dr. Jorge Núñez, as a modest homage in recognition of his many contributions to the Canarian polychaete fauna, and especially for his kind support for our research on Western Atlantic polychaete fauna. The derivation is phonetic and hopefully euphonic, because it has been done following the recommendations of Article 27 ( ICZN 1999).

Remarks. Flabelligera nuniezi n. sp. differs from similar species with a transparent tunic because it has very large neurohooks in median chaetigers, with handles that are weakly articulated or completely anchylosed.

Type locality. Port of Algiers, Algeria .

Distribution. Canary Islands to the Western Mediterranean Sea, intertidal or shallow subtidal depths.

Figures

FIGURE 9. Flabelligera nuniezi n. sp. A. Holotype (MNHN/1530), dorsal view. B. Same, ventral view. C. Same, chaetigers 3– 9, left neuropodia, showing gonopodial lobes by arrows. D. Same, chaetiger 10, neurohook. E. Same, chaetiger 22, neurohook. F. Non-type specimen (ZMUC unnumb.), median neurohook (insert: close up of handle anchylosed region). Scale bars: A: 1.3 mm, B: 1.1 mm, C: 0.2 mm, D: 90 µm, E: 100 µm, F: 250 µm.