Spiraserpula ypsilon Pillai & ten Hove, 1994

Bastida-Zavala, Rolando, 2012, Serpula and Spiraserpula (Polychaeta, Serpulidae) from the Tropical Western Atlantic and Gulf of Guinea, ZooKeys 198, pp. 1-23 : 10-11

Spiraserpula ypsilon Pillai & ten Hove, 1994 Figs 7 G–L 8

Spiraserpula ypsilon Pillai & ten Hove 1994:56-60, Figs 6 A–K, 7 A–T, 34G, Pl. 1B.

Type locality.

Brava, Cape Verde Islands.

Material examined.

Bahamas. Two empty tubes (UMML 22.1056), RV Gerda, cruise 6804, sta. 983, North of Elbow Cay, Bahamas, 24°05'N, 80°20'W, triangle dredge, 216 m, March 5, 1968). Honduras. One specimen (UMML 22.1057), RV Pillsbury, cruise 6802, sta. 629, Southwest of Honduras Cape, 15°58'N, 86°09'W, 41-feet otter trawl, 40 m, March 21, 1968. Venezuela. Two empty tubes (UMML 22.1058), RV Pillsbury, cruise 6806, sta. 745, North of Los Roques Islands, 11°58'N, 66°50'W, 10-feet otter trawl, 65 m, July 24, 1968. Trinidad and Tobago. One specimen (UMML 22.1059), one specimen (UMAR-Poly 111), RV Pillsbury, cruise 6907, sta. 840, East of Trinidad Island, 10°40'N, 60°37'W, 10-feet otter trawl, 33 m, sponges, July 1, 1969.

Description.

One specimen (UMML 22.1058) attached to tube of Spiraserpula karpatensis and another (UMML 22.1056) attached to Pseudovermilia fuscostriata tube (Fig. 7H). Tubes sinuous or strongly spiraled (Fig. 7H); in another the tube forms a very tight cylindrical spiral (Fig. 7I). Tubes with two internal longitudinal ridges: mid-dorsal one serrated, mid-ventral one Y-shaped (Fig. 7 J–L); sometimes, along length of tube, Y-shaped ridge changes to smooth ridge. Tubes white (Fig. 7 H–I). Body pale to dark brown (preserved material only). Worms damaged. Branchial crown with 5-6 radioles by branchial lobe. Collar damaged, lobes could not be observed. Bayonet chaetae with 3-4 blunt teeth (Fig. 7G); hooded (capillary) chaetae present. Thorax with seven chaetigers, including collar chaetae. Abdomen damaged.

Distribution.

Caribbean, Florida and Pacific of Panama.

Ecology.

Sublittoral, 33-216 m. On coral debris. Pillai and ten Hove (1994) recorded the species from 0.5 to 200 m. In the same samples studied there were other serpulids: Spiraserpula karpatensis , Spiraserpula sp., Hydroides gairacensis , Hydroides sp. 1, Pomatostegus stellatus , Protula sp., Pseudovermilia fuscostriata , Pseudovermilia occidentalis , Salmacina huxleyi , Serpula vossae sp. n., Vermiliopsis annulata , a chaetopterid tube, and other polychaetes: a lumbrinerid, several syllids, sipunculids and a vermetid shell.

Remarks.

Spiraserpula ypsilon is very similar to Spiraserpula paraypsilon Pillai & ten Hove, 1994, described from the Netherlands Antilles, mainly with regard to the internal ridges of the tube. However, some differences separate both species, mainly the absence of lateral tubercles in the thoracic uncini in Spiraserpula ypsilon , characteristic of Spiraserpula paraypsilon ; additionally, Spiraserpula ypsilon has fewer radioles (6-7) than Spiraserpula paraypsilon (11).