Pherecardia maculata Imajima, 2003

Salazar-Vallejo, Sergio I., Piotrowski, Christina N., Gustav, Leslie Harris & Paulay, Gustav, 2025, Revision of Pherecardia Horst 1886 (Annelida Amphinomidae), Zoosystema 47 (28), pp. 691-720 : 714

Pherecardia maculata Imajima, 2003

( Fig. 15)

Pherecardia maculata Imajima, 2003: 191-194 , figs 96a-f, 97a-l.

DIAGNOSIS. — Pherecardia with anterior dorsal surface bearing abundant small white spots, but otherwise lacking pigmented pattern. Anterior chaetigers, dorsum, and caruncle with small white spots. Median antenna slightly shorter than caruncle. Anterior eyes twice as large as posterior ones. Neurochaetae aciculars distally denticulate.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Japan, Sagami Sea. Holotype • Okinoyama ; 85 m depth; 26.III.1967; NSMT Pol.R 1020 (specimen not studied).

REMARKS

The species was described from a single 22 mm long, 4 mm wide specimen with 49 segments. The integument was described as smooth, with abundant small white spots along the anterior dorsum, a feature not previously recorded in the genus. Whether these white spots are due to pigmentation, to salt particles embedded in the integument, or to the presence of acidophilic glands is unknown. The presence of adsorbed particles and the lack of pigmentation may reflect past practices, as the specimen was collected in 1967 when samples were not as carefully washed of excess salts and formalin, as was common practice later ( de Silva 1961).

The photograph of the holotype (kindly provided by Dr H. Komatsu, NSMT), shows no whitish dots remaining. Further, the integument appears furrowed, which might be due to dehydration because it was described by Imajima as smooth ( Fig. 15).

Preserved specimens of P. striata (e.g., UF 2312) can lose their pigment pattern and have maculae, thus the color pattern of P. maculata is difficult to interpret. However, older P.striata specimens still present the typical longitudinal furrows where melanocytes are usually present, even where pigments have completely faded. On the contrary, in P. maculata dorsal and ventral surfaces were described as smooth. This is an interesting difference; however, the affinities of P. maculata with other species could be clarified after collection of additional specimens from the type locality (Sagami Sea, Japan).

Eyes are not included in the Pherecardia key, nor in the diagnoses for the other species. This is because eye size was found to vary with specimen size, and during maturity and epitoky. Because P. maculata was described with a single specimen, there is no information available about this feature and it was included in the diagnosis, despite the heterogeneity this introduces across the Pherecardia diagnoses herein.

DISTRIBUTION

Only known from the type locality, Okinoyama, Sagami Sea, 85 m water depth.

OTHER SPECIES PREVIOUSLY ASSIGNED TO PHERECARDIA