Thelepus haitiensis Treadwell, 1931

Londoño-Mesa, Mario H. & Carrera-Parra, Luis F., 2005, Terebellidae (Polychaeta) from the Mexican Caribbean with description of four new species, Zootaxa 1057, pp. 1-44 : 8-10

Thelepus haitiensis Treadwell, 1931

Figure 2 G–K

Thelepus haitiensis, Treadwell, 1931:79 –80, fig. 14A,B.

Thelepus setosus, Hartman, 1951:113 . Day, 1973:118 –119. Fauchald, 1977b:60. Not Thelepus setosus, Hartman, 1956:297 –298.

Material examined: Type material: Holotype AMNH 3554 (1) Lamentin Reefs, near shore, 3 miles West of Bizoton reefs, Haiti, Sta. 27418, 4 May 1927. Additional material: Mexican Caribbean: ECOSUR TERE 31 (1) QR4 Playa Aventuras (20°20’15.5”N 87°20’31.7’’W), 21 Mar. 1992. TERE 31 (1) QR7 Chankanaab, Cozumel Island (20°56’38’’N 86°59’35’’W), 2 Apr. 1992. TERE 31 (1) Buenavista, 22 Sep. 1996. TERE 31 (4) Southern Contoy Island (21°27’33’’N 86°46’06’’W), 2 Mar. 2001. TERE 31 (1) Playa Azul, Cozumel Island (20°32’07’’N 86°56’10’’W), 25 Mar. 2001. TERE 31 (2) Cozumel Island (20°23’45.1’’N 86°51’53.5’’W), 26 Mar. 2001. TERE 31 (2) Majahual (18°40’09.6’’N 87°43’01.4’’W), 24 Feb. 2001. TERE 31 (1) Punta Nizuc, Cancún (21°02’11.7’’N 86°46’44.2’’W), 10 Feb. 2001. Antilles: AMNH 2769 (1) Lamentin Reefs, near shore, 3 miles West of Bizoton reefs, Haiti, 24 Apr. 1927 (as Thelepus pericensis ) AMNH 2770 (1) Lamentin Reefs, near shore, 3 miles West of Bizoton reefs, Haiti, 1 May 1927; 0.6 m. AMNH 3170 (2) Guanica Harbor, Puerto Rico, Jul. 1915. ZMA V.Pol. (4) La Parguera, Cayo Caracoles, Puerto Rico, 2 Dec. 1963 (as Thelepus pericensis ). ZMA V.Pol. 1450 (1) Cayo Caracoles, Off La Parguera, Puerto Rico, 2 Dec. 1963; under stones, 0.3 m depth, (as Thelepus pericensis ). ZMA V.Pol. 1452 (1) Los Testigos, Exp. Chasalie, 20 Jan. 1896 (as Thelepus pericensis ). ZMA V.Pol. 1454 (1) Curaçao, Sp. Water, 13 Apr. 1920; in Porites porites (as Thelepus pericensis ).

Description: Holotype incomplete with 69 segments, 78 mm long; thorax 48 mm long, 4 mm wide. Few tentacles long, with a whitish waved line opposite to the longitudinal groove. Tentacular membrane with thick and swollen edge; eyespots absent. Upper lip long, rounded, with margins folded externally. Lower lip flat, wide, slightly swollen ( Figure 2 G–H). Lateral lappets absent. Three pairs of branchiae from segment 2, with thin filaments, decreasing in size and in number, emerging from a swollen base, wider in the first pair of branchiae. First pair of branchiae with 32 filaments, second pair with 25 filaments and third pair 20 filaments. Nephridial papillae not seen because of the condition of the type. Notopodial glandular tissue pale or whitish, dorsally and ventrally to notopodium along the first thoracic half. Twenty four ventral shields from segment 2; most anterior shields thinner, and becoming swollen and wider. Ventral groove dividing the first ventral shields up to the end of the specimen. Last shields poorly developed. Thorax with 46 chaetigers. Notopodia from segment 3, those anterior most well developed; chaetae of two sizes, intercalated, lanceolate, bilimbate with longitudinal striations ( Figure 2 I–J). Neuropodia from segment 5, to the end of the body; neuropodia swollen and wide in anterior region, small in abdomen. Thoracic and abdominal uncini MF:2; posterior process and filament absent; occipitium slightly convex; capitium with two teeth over the main fang, as long as two third the main fang; sub­rostrum narrow; sub­rostral process and appendix absent; lower sub­rostrum with a square button close to a rounded anterior process; anterior filament absent; base slightly curved ( Figure 2 K). Pygidium not seen.

Remarks: The additional material is also incomplete and deteriorates, with 20 ventral shields, 13 of those complete, and the rest divided in 2 portions by the ventral groove. Some specimens have small eyespots, even in specimen collected in the type locality. Material from ZMA has 43–45 notopodia, with 44 the most common number; they also present some posterior fragments with 60 to 119 segments, which indicates that the total longitude could varies from 103 to 164 segments, at least, taking into account the number of notopodia. First pair or branchiae with 35–43 filaments, second pair of with 30 filaments, and third pair with 28–30 filaments. They also have nephridial papillae on segments 4, 5, 6 and 7. The posterior fragments present wide pygidium, without papillae. The material from the Mexican Caribbean has 41–44 notopodia, being 42 notopodia the most common number. Some small and yellowish eggs are presented by the material from Puerto Rico, in the second half of the abdomen, and some 20–30 segments before pygidium. Well developed notopodial glandular tissue is presented by some specimens from the Mexican Caribbean, as whitish cotton­like pads surrounding the first 20–25 notopodia. A Polynoidae, Lepidastenia sp., was found inside the tube of one specimen from Cozumel Island, Mexican Caribbean.

Var ia t io n: The total number of segments in specimens complete varies from 69 to 143.

Discussion: Holthe (1986b) followed Hartman (1956; 1959) mentioning that this species probably belonged to Thelepus setosus (de Quatrefages, 1865). Nevertheless, after have checked material of T. setosus from the type locality (AMNH 657 (3) St. Vaast­la­ Hogue, France, IV.1913), herein, we consider this two species different, because of the higher number of branchial filaments; first pair with 35–43 filaments, second pair with 25– 30 and third pair with 20–30 for T. haitiensis , and 10–14, 9–14 and 7–6 filaments, in the respective pairs for T. setosus ; the uncinal formula, MF:2 for the former, and MF:2–3:2 for the latter; and the button in the sub­rostrum is subdistal in the uncini from T. haitiensis , while in T. setosus this button is distal, over the anterior process. Furthermore, the geographic distributions for both, Haiti and the English Channel, in the Atlantic coast of France, are relatively far from each other, and both localities have different ecological conditions. Thus, taking into account all this information, we consider T. setosus does not occur in the Grand Caribbean region, and some former identifications of this species in the Grand Caribbean region, as those material from the ZMA (see material examined), and other enlisted by Perkins & Savage (1975) and Salazar­Vallejo (1996) possibly belong to T. haitiensis , although all those material need to be corroborated. Discussion of the doubtful cosmopolite distribution of T. setosus has been also done by Hutchings and Glasby (1987), whom based on the number of notopodia presented by material identified as T. setosus in Australia, described a new species, Thelepus extensus .

Distribution: Florida, Gulf of Mexico, Mexican Caribbean, Panama, Haiti (type locality), Puerto Rico, Los Testigos Venezuela, Curaçao. In shallow waters.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Streblosoma hartmanae: A. Dorsal view; B. Ventral view; C. Lateral view; D. Chaetae from segment 11; E. Uncini in lateral view from segment 11; F. Uncini in front view from segment 11. Thelepus haitiensis: G. Lateral view; H. Ventral view; I. Chaetiger from segment 10; J. Chaetae from segment 10; K. Uncini from segment 10. Scale bars: A, B, C, 0.5 mm; D, 0.03 mm; E, F, 0.02 mm; J, K 0.05; G, H 2 mm; I 0.2 mm.