Salmacina Claparède, 1870

Kupriyanova, Elena K., Sun, Yanan, Ten Hove, Harry A., Wong, Eunice & Rouse, Greg W., 2015, Serpulidae (Annelida) of Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, Zootaxa 4019 (1), pp. 275-353 : 310

Genus Salmacina Claparède, 1870

Type-species. Salmacina incrustans Claparède, 1870

Diagnosis. (from ten Hove & Kupriyanova 2009). Worms form open aggregates consisting of large numbers of tiny whitish tubes, circular in cross-section without further diagnostic features; granular overlay absent. Operculum and pseudoperculum absent, sometimes swollen tips of radioles present. Radioles arranged in semi-circles, up to 4 radioles per lobe. Inter-radiolar membrane and stylodes absent. Branchial eyes may be present. Mouth palps present. Six to twelve thoracic chaetigerous segments. Collar trilobed, tonguelets absent. Thoracic membranes forming apron. Collar chaetae fin-and-blade, distal blade well separated from fin, and limbate. Apomatus chaetae present. Thoracic uncini rasp-shaped, rectangular to wedge-shaped (triangular) in frontal view, with 2–12 teeth in a transverse row, with up to 10 teeth in profile view; anterior fang pointed. Thoracic triangular depression absent. Achaetous anterior abdominal zone present. Abdominal chaetae flat narrow geniculate with pointed teeth along edge. Uncini similar to thoracic ones, with more teeth in the transverse rows, and squarish peg. Long posterior capillary chaetae and posterior glandular pad absent.

Remarks. The nominal genera Filograna Berkeley, 1835 (operculate) and Salmacina (non-operculate), contain a number of small, asexually reproducing taxa, without distinctive morphological characters. Discussions are given by Nogueira & ten Hove (2000: 151–153), ten Hove & Kupriyanova (2009: 42) and most recently a very extensive analysis was given by Ben-Eliahu & ten Hove (2011: 62–71); however, they all conclude that the complex is badly in need of a revision. Moreover, being small, often unnoticed but nevertheless very common in (ship)fouling communities, a distribution heavily influenced by human interference is very likely; such a revision only can be furthered with help of molecular data. One nominal species, Salmacina australis Haswell, 1885 , was described from Port Jackson, NSW, Australia, and later mentioned from the temperate-cold southern part of Australia, and New Zealand. From biogeographic and ecological viewpoints, it is unlikely that such a coldtemperate taxon would occur in the tropical Indo-West Pacific region as well. We therefore refrain from attributing a specific name to the material from Lizard Island.