Neogyptis fauchaldi, Pleijel & Rouse & Sundkvist & Nygren, 2012

Pleijel, Fredrik, Rouse, Greg W., Sundkvist, Tobias & Nygren, Arne, 2012, A partial revision of Gyptis (Gyptini, Ophiodrominae, Hesionidae, Aciculata, Annelida), with descriptions of a new tribe, a new genus and five new species, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society (Zool. J. Linn. Soc.) 165 (3), pp. 471-494 : 482-484

NEOGYPTIS FAUCHALDI SP. NOV. ( FIGS 6–8 )

Type material: Holotype ( SIO-BIC A2477 ), + 60 paratypes ( SIO-BIC 2478–2490 ).

Type locality: Belize, Carrie Bow Cay , 16°48.162′N, 88°04.913′W, 1 m, sand .

Etymology: Named after maestro Kristian Fauchald.

Material examined: BELIZE. Holotype ( SIO-BIC A2477 , fixed in formaldehyde), Carrie Bow Cay , 16°48.162′N, 88°04.913′W, 1 m, sand, SCUBA, coll. FP 2.xi.2006; six paratypes ( SIO-BIC A2478 , fixed in formaldehyde), Carrie Bow Cay , 16°48′N, 88°04′W, 1 m, sand and Thalassia, SCUBA , coll. FP 10.v.1993; four paratypes ( SIO-BIC A2479 , fixed in formaldehyde), Carrie Bow Cay , 16°48.2′N, 88°04.5′W, 1 m, sand and Thalassia, SCUBA , coll. FP 3–10.v.1997; 15 spms (in authors’ collections, fixed in glutaraldehyde and osmium for TEM and SEM), same collection data; seven paratypes ( SIO- BIC A2480 , fixed in formaldehyde), reef 200 m east of Carrie Bow Cay , 10–15 m, sand, SCUBA, coll. FP 19.ix.1997; three paratypes ( SIO-BIC A2481 , fixed in formaldehyde), east of Carrie Bow Cay , off First Reef , 30 m, sand, SCUBA, coll. FP 21.ix.1997; five spms ( FP collection, fixed in osmium for SEM), same collection data; six paratypes ( SIO-BIC A2482 , fixed in formaldehyde), Curley Cay , 16°47.4′N, 88°04.8′W, 1 m, coarse sand, SCUBA, coll. FP 22.ix.1997; ten paratypes ( SIO-BIC A2483 , fixed in formaldehyde), Carrie Bow Cay , off First Reef , East Carrie Bow Cay , 26 m, sand, SCUBA, coll. FP 23.ix.1997; three spms (fixed in 95% ethanol, destroyed for DNA sequencing), same collection data; six paratypes ( SIO-BIC A2484 , fixed in formaldehyde), East Carrie Bow Cay , off First Reef , 12 m, sand, SCUBA, coll. FP 23.ix.1997; two paratypes ( SIO-BIC A2485 , fixed in 95% ethanol), same collection data as holotype; two spms (fixed in 95% ethanol, destroyed for DNA sequencing), same collection data as holotype; one paratype ( SIO-BIC A2486 , fixed in formaldehyde), Twin Cays , 16°49.991′N, 88°06.240′W, 1 m, sand, SCUBA, coll. FP 3.xi.2006; two paratypes ( SIO-BIC A2487 , fixed in formaldehyde), Carrie Bow Cay , off reef, 16°48.190′N, 88°04.669′W, 15 m, Halimeda sand, SCUBA, coll. GR 8.xi.2006; one paratype ( SIO-BIC A2488 , fixed in 95% ethanol), same collection data; ten paratypes ( SIO-BIC A2489 , fixed in formaldehyde), Curlew Bank, 16°47.311′N, 88°04.575′W, 1 m, sand, SCUBA, coll. FP 10.xi.2006; five paratypes ( SIO-BIC A2490 , fixed in formaldehyde), Carrie Bow Cay, off reef crest, 16°48.065′N, 88°08.847′W, 3 m, sand, SCUBA, coll. FP 13.xi.2006.

Description: Length up to 4.5 mm for 24 segments. Live animals transparent with yellow gut; eyes brownish black. Body outline cylindrical with tapering posterior-most end ( Fig. 6 ). Prostomium rounded quadrangular, as wide as long. Palpophores cylindrical, palpostyles evenly tapering to rounded tips; palpophores shorter than palpostyles ( Fig. 7A, B ). Paired antennae as long as palps but slightly thinner, tapering, distal-most third forming demarcated tips. Median antenna weakly club-shaped, much shorter than paired antennae ( Fig. 7B ), inserted anterior to anterior pair of eyes. Eyes medium-sized, anterior pair kidney-shaped, posterior pair smaller and rounded; both pairs positioned almost along transverse line ( Fig. 6 ). Nuchal organs ciliated bands along dorsolateral sides of prostomium ( Fig. 7A, C ). Proboscis with smooth distal and terminal rings, opening with terminal ring of ten very small papillae ( Fig. 7C ). Lip pads absent. Non-everted proboscis reaching segment 10. Anterior segmental delineations indistinct, most part of segment 1 reduced. Dorsal cirri and cirrophores segment 1–5 longer and stouter than following ones, distinctly annulated. Ventral cirri segment 1–4 with well-delineated cirrophores and longer and stouter cirri than on following segments. Segment 5 with neuropodial lobes, neurochaetae and ventral cirri similar to following segments, segment 6 with notopodial lobes and notochaetae. Alternation in length and direction of dorsal cirri not observed. Dorsal cirri reaching as long as or slightly beyond chaetae. Weakly developed transverse dorsal ridges across posterior segments. Notopodial aciculary lobes conical ( Fig. 7D ). Notochaetae of three kinds; single dorsally bent aciculary chaetae inserted near tip of notoaciculae, c. ten capillary chaetae with two alternating rows of teeth, and few, ventrally positioned curved chaetae with conical side subdistally serrated. Prechaetal neuropodial lobes conical ( Fig. 7D ). About 15 neurochaetae, all compound and unidentate, with dorsal and median blades up to three times longer than ventral. Single noto- and neuroaciculae. Ventral cirri inserted distally on neuropodium, tapering to fine points ( Fig. 7E ). Pygidial cirri much longer than dorsal cirri; pygidial papilla absent ( Fig. 7F ).

Biology: Mature specimens observed both in May and November. Mature eggs weak pink, size 80 Mm. The sperm of N. fauchaldi sp. nov., appears to be that of an animal with broadcast spawning. It has a spheri-

Figures

Figure 6. Neogyptis fauchaldi sp. nov., dorsal view of live relaxed female paratype (SIO-BIC A2490) from Carrie Bow Cay, Belize, 4.6 mm long excluding cirri.

Figure 7. Neogyptis fauchaldi sp. nov., scanning electron microscopy photographs of specimens from the type locality. A, anterior end, dorsal view. B, anterior end, ventral view. C, anterior end, right side. D, median parapodia, anterodorsal view. E, median parapodia, right side, ventral view. F, posterior end, ventral view. Scale bars: A, B, C, E = 100 Mm, D = 50 Mm, F = 60 Mm.

Figure 8. Neogyptis fauchaldi sp. nov., specimen from the type locality, transmission electron micrograph of a section through several mature sperm. The sperm have spherical nucleus, flat cap-like acrosome and several spherical mitochondria surrounding the anchoring apparatus and 9 + 2 axoneme. Scale bar = 500 nm.