Paradiopatra hispanica ( Amoureux, 1972 )

Arias, Andrés & Paxton, Hannelore, 2015, Paradiopatra Ehlers, 1887 (Annelida: Onuphidae) from southwestern Europe with the description of a new species and new ultramorphological data for the genus, Zootaxa 4040 (2), pp. 149-168 : 162-163

Paradiopatra hispanica ( Amoureux, 1972)

Figures 9 , 10 , 12

Nothria hispanica Amoureux, 1972: 76 , figs. 2, 3; 1974a: 136 ( Portugal); 1974b: 114 (Bay of Biscay); 1982: 49; Campoy 1982: 554 –555.

Sarsonuphis hispanica .— Fauchald 1982: 74; Glémarec 1991: 549.

Paradiopatra hispanica .— Paxton 1986: 38; Aguirrezabalaga et al. 2002: 20 –23, fig. 2A–H (Capbreton Canyon); Paxton & Arias 2014: 898–899, fig. 5 (Bay of Biscay).

Material examined. Eight specimens (AM W45285), COCACE station G3 (43.88ºN – 06.11ºW), 571 m depth, 40.94% sand, 30.28% silt, 28.78% clay, Cantabrian Sea, Bay of Biscay, 0 3 Jul 1987; 5 specimens ( MNCN 16.01/ 16630), COCACE station I6 (43.92°N – 6.11°W), 1186 m depth, 38% sand, 30% silt, 32% clay, Cantabrian Sea, Bay of Biscay, 0 4 Jul 1987; Several from the same locality for SEM studies; 1 specimen (AM W27376), Capbreton Canyon, 43º50.32’N – 02º10.94’W, 495 m depth, Cantabrian Sea, Bay of Biscay, coll. RV “Côte d’Aquitaine”, 10 Jul 1988; 3 specimens ( MNCN 16.01/16631), N. Ribadesella (Asturias), 43º 49.76’- 43º49.89’ N –5º05.04’- 5º05.83’ W, 540-543 m depth, Cantabrian Sea, Bay of Biscay, coll. Fauna Ibérica II, 18 Jun 1991; 2 specimens ( MNCN 16.01/16632), COCACE station H4 (43.77º N – 06.17º W), 790 m depth, 49.30% sand, 26.01% silt, 24.69% clay, Cantabrian Sea, Bay of Biscay, 25 Oct 1987; 3 specimens ( MNCN 16.01/16633), COCACE station G1 (43.93º N – 5.66º W), 468 m depth, 67.54% sand, 16.64% silt, 15.82% clay, Cantabrian Sea, Bay of Biscay, 30 Jul 1987.

All specimens incomplete, lacking posterior ends; smallest specimen measuring 12 mm for 53 chaetigers, width 0.6 mm; largest specimen measuring 52 mm in length for 110 chaetigers, width 0.8 mm.

Diagnosis. Eyes absent; palps reaching chaetiger 1, lateral antennae reaching chaetiger 2–5 and median antenna chaetiger 1–3; ceratophores with 2–4 proximal rings and long distal ring, lacking lateral projections. Peristomial cirri present. Anterior three pairs of parapodia modified; ventral cirri subulate on first three to four chaetigers ( Fig. 9 ), ventral glandular pads with a wide band consisting of two to three interrupted rows of cuticular pores ( Figs. 12 C–E); subulate postchaetal lobes absent from chaetiger 9. Modified parapodia with pseudocompound bi- and tridentate falcigers with long pointed hoods; subacicular hooks starting from chaetigers 11–15; pectinate chaetae with 13–15 teeth, very sparse, present or absent in median and posterior parapodia, when present, never more than one per parapodium. Branchiae absent. Tube with inner parchment-like layer covered by thin, smooth muddy layer on distal part only, lower part only transparent secreted layer.

Variation. Paradiopatra hispanica displays a high degree of variability with respect to the number of anterior chaetigers with subulate ventral cirri and the first chaetiger with subacicular hooks; both characters are size-related ( Fig. 10 ). The number of anterior chaetigers with subulate ventral cirri varies from two to four followed by one, two or three chaetigers with transitional ventral cirri shaped from subulate to round. Specimens of the smallest size had two ventral cirri followed by one to two chaetigers with transitional cirri ( Fig. 9 B). Specimens larger than 0.4 mm had three chaetigers with subulate ventral cirri and specimens of the largest sizes (0.8–0.9 mm width) had three to four chaetigers with subulate ventral cirri, in the former followed by two chaetigers with transitional-shaped ventral cirri and with one in the latter ( Fig. 9 A).

Remarks. This is a common species in the Bay of Biscay and Atlantic Iberian Peninsula and has been fully illustrated by Paxton & Arias (2014: Fig. 5 ).

Distribution. Atlantic Iberian Peninsula ( Spain and Portugal), Bay of Biscay, English Channel SW of British Isles; at depths of 505-1113 m.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Paradiopatra florencioi sp. nov. Scanning electron micrographs (A – C, E); photograph (D). A, anterior end, dorsal view; B, anterior end, ventral view; C, detailed view of prostomium and peristomium; D, specimens partly extending from tubes; E, anterior end, showing detail of median chaetigers, dorsolateral view.

FIGURE 9. Paradiopatra hispanica. Scanning electron micrographs. A, anterior end, dorsal view of specimen of 0.8 mm width. B, anterior chaetigers, lateral view of specimen of 0.3 mm width. ch 1, chaetiger 1; ch 2, chaetiger 2; ch 3, chaetiger 3; dc, dorsal cirrus; gp, glandular pad; i, intermediate-shaped cirrus; psl, postchaetal lobe; svc, subulate ventral cirri; vc, ventral cirrus.

FIGURE 10. Graphs illustrating size-related features in Paradiopatra hispanica. A, relationship between body width of specimens and number of chaetigers with subulate ventral cirri (N = 30); B, relationship between body width of specimens and origin of subacicular hooks (N = 30)

FIGURE 12. Paradiopatra hispanica. Methylene Blue staining pattern (A, B); Scanning electron micrographs (C – E). A, anterior end, ventral view, arrow pointing to chaetiger 12, starting point of cuticular pore pattern of ventral glandular pads. B, lateral view from chaetiger 12 to chaetiger 16. C, ventral glandular pad, arrows pointing to central rows of cuticular pores. D, E detailed view of same. ch, chaetiger.