Perinereis nuntia ( Savigny, 1818 )

Yousefi, Shetav, Rahimian, Hasan, Nabavi, Seid Mohammad Bagher & Glasby, Christopher, 2011, Nereididae (Annelida: Polychaeta) from intertidal habitats in the Gulf of Oman, Iran, Zootaxa 3013, pp. 48-64 : 59-60

Perinereis nuntia ( Savigny, 1818)

( Figs 2 D, 7A–E)

Lycoris nuntia Savigny in Lamarck, 1818: 313; 1822: 33, pl. 4, figs 2.1–2.10.

Neanthes nuntia . — Gravier, 1899a: 237.

Perinereis nuntia . — Fauvel, 1953: 213, fig. 109 f–g; Wilson & Glasby, 1993, P. 266, fig. 11 a–g; Glasby & Hsieh, 2006: 563, fig. 6 a–f.

Perinereis nuntia typica Wu et al. 1985: 213 , fig. 120 c–d.

Material examined. Iran, Gulf of Oman, Jask, 5 specimens ( ZUTC Ann. 1125); Gwater, 4 specimens ( ZUTC Ann. 1126), 2 specimens ( ZUTC Ann. 1129), 1 specimen ( NTM W23740); Chabahar, Portuguese Castle, 2 specimens ( ZUTC Ann. 1128); Djod, 3 specimens ( ZUTC Ann. 1135); Sandorf, 3 specimens ( ZUTC Ann. 1133), 1 specimen ( NTM W23741); Sirik, 10 specimens ( ZUTC Ann.1145).

Description. Material examined 20–75 mm long, 90–155 chaetigers, 1–4mm wide at chaetiger 10 (excluding parapodia), jaw length 0.2–0.7 mm. Colour in alcohol light brown, no additional pigment ( Fig. 2 D). Longest tentacular cirri extending back 8–14 chaetigers. Paragnaths on maxillary ring arranged as follows: I = 1–2, II = 5–12, III = 9–15, IV = 12–22 cones. Paragnaths on oral ring arranged as follows: V = 3 cones in triangle, VI = 13–20 cones or cones and bars, VII–VIII = 36–58 in three, four or five irregular rows and different size ( Fig. 7 A, B). Anterior notopodia with two similar-sized ligules, length of dorsal cirrus and dorsal ligule approximately same ( Fig. 7 C). In posterior parapodia dorsal cirrus is twice length of dorsal notopodial ligule ( Fig. 7 D). Notochaetae all homogomph spinigers. Neurochaetae are heterogomph falcigers and homogomph and heterogomph spinigers (throughout body) ( Fig. 7 E).

Remarks. This species was described by Savigny (1818, 1822) from the Suez Canal. Our specimens compare well with those described and illustrated by Savigny; in particular all specimens have heterogomph spinigers in anterior neuropodia, there are many paragnaths in Areas VII–VIII and the tentacular and dorsal cirri are particularly long ( Table 3 ). Our specimens are less similar to the Red Sea specimens of P. nuntia described by Wilson & Glasby (1993) in their revision of the Perinereis nuntia species group from worldwide localities; they differ from the description of P. nuntia by these authors in having fewer paragnaths in the oral ring, viz. VI = 6–9 bars and cones (compared to 13–20 cones/bars), VII–VIII = 18–38 large cones in one or two rows (compared to 36–58 of different sizes arranged in four or five irregular rows). Material in the present study is distinguished from the description of P. nuntia by Glasby & Hsieh (2006) by having heterogomph spinigers in both anterior and posterior neuropodia (absent from anterior neuropodia in specimens of Glasby & Hsieh (2006)), and by the longer tentacular cirri, which extend back 8–14 chaetigers in present material but only to 6–8 chaetigers in material of Glasby & Hsieh. Similarly, specimens identified by Wesenberg-Lund (1949) as Pereinereis nuntia var. brevicirris Grube from six kilometres south of Bushire also have shorter tentacular cirri (longest extending back to chaetiger 7), and in having fewer paragnaths in most Areas. Therefore, it is likely that at least two species of the P. nuntia species complex exist on intertidal shores of Iran.

Regional distribution and habitat. Rocky, sandy, boulder, muddy, coral shores, and under stones in sandy shores at low tide, at Gulf of Oman (Jask, Gwater, Chabahar, Djod). Also Persian Gulf; Arabian Sea ( Table 2 ). World distribution. Gulf of Aden; Suez Canal (type locality); Red Sea; Indo-west Pacific; northern Austalia ( Wilson & Glasby 1993); Fiji.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Dorsal views of anterior end of selected nereidid species collected from the intertidal of Gulf of Oman, A, Nereis coutieri, body width about 1 mm; B, Perinereis heterodonta, body width about 2.5 mm; C, Perinereis horsti, pharynx everted, body width about 2 mm; D, Perinereis nuntia, pharynx everted, body width about 3 mm; E, Pseudonereis trimaculata, pharynx everted; body width about 2 mm.

FIGURE 7. Perinereis nuntia, A, anterior end, dorsal view showing everted proboscis; B, ventral view of same; C, anterior parapodium; D, posterior parapodium; E, neuropodial heterogomph falciger, anterior parapodium.