Timarete punctata ( Grube, 1859 )

Blake, James A. & Dean, Harlan K., 2019, New Species of Cirratulidae (Annelida, Polychaeta) from the Caribbean Sea, Zootaxa 4671 (3), pp. 301-338 : 329

Timarete punctata ( Grube, 1859)

Cirrhatulus punctata Grube, 1859:107 .

Cirrhatulus nigromaculatus Grube, 1869:24–25 .

Cirriformia punctata: Hartman, 1956: 292 .

Timarete punctata: Petersen, 1999:116 ; Çinar, 2007:755–764, figs. 2–5 (synonymy); Magalhães et al. 2014:18–19 (synonymy); Dean 2017:131–132.

Material examined. Caribbean Sea, Carib 1, R/V Alpha Helix , Nicaragua, Mid Ham Cay, Sta. 39, 14°34.7ʹN, 82°58.0ʹW, 11 July,1977, subtidal, interstices of coral rock, coarse coral rubble piled on old reef crest by storms, with some living coral, 1 specimen ( USNM 1557511 ) .

Description. Specimen incomplete with 50 setigers, 5.0 mm long, pre-setigerous region narrower (0.5 mm wide) than remainder of body (1.0 mm wide). Prostomium rounded, peristomium triannulate. Tentacular filaments five pairs from setiger 3–4, each filament with dark brown rings and scattered brown spots; branchiae from setiger 1, located dorsal and adjacent to notopodia, shifting dorsal to notosetae by setiger 15. Body beige with numerous scattered brown spots on both dorsal and ventral surfaces; dorsal filaments with dark brown rings and spots, branchiae uniformly brown-gray with occasional dark spots.

Anterior noto- and neuropodia with 3–4 capillary setae, notopodial spines from setiger 10; neuropodial spines from setiger 5; mid-body with a single notopodial spine accompanied by three capillaries, neuropodia with 3–4 spines and a single accompanying capillary.

Methyl Green stain. No pattern; body stains uniformly light blue.

Remarks. This specimen agrees well with specimens described by Magalhães et al. (2014) from São Pedro and São Paulo, Brazil. Those authors reported notopodial spines beginning between setigers 9–25 and neuropodial spines from setigers 6–17, both of which agree with the current specimen. The mottled pigment on the body, tentacular cirri, and branchiae are also similar to published reports.

Distribution. Timarete punctata was originally described from the Bahamas and has been reported from several sites in the Caribbean ( Dean 2012; 2017) and as far South in the Atlantic Ocean as the coast of Paraíba in Brazil. Çinar (2007) redescribed the type material and reported the species from the Mediterranean Sea. Based upon molecular analysis, Magalhães et al. (2014) suggested that T. punctata might be a complex of species. Seixas et al. (2017) investigated the genetic diversity of this species (including individuals from Panama) and found a wide geographic distribution probably associated with human-mediated transport.