Chloeia murrayae, Salazar-Vallejo, 2023

Salazar-Vallejo, Sergio I., 2023, Revision of Chloeia Savigny in Lamarck, 1818 (Annelida, Amphinomidae), Zootaxa 5238 (1), pp. 1-134 : 89-90

Chloeia murrayae sp. n.

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Fig. 41

Type material. Australia. Holotype ( AM W28128 ), MV Capricorn I, Sta. QLD 128 (26°35´25″ S, 153°41´30″ E), Queensland, due east of Mooloolaba , 200 m, 2 Aug 1994, J.K. Lowry & K. Dempsey, coll.

Additional material. New Caledonia. One specimen ( MNHN Musorstom NC605 ), Sta. 605 (22°14.5´S, 167°02.0´E), 65–70 m, 5 Aug. 1986 (dorsal cirri purplish; branchial stems purplish along a few anterior chaetigers; anterior eyes 2×larger than posterior ones; body 16 mm long, 3 mm wide, 24 chaetigers). One specimen ( MNHN Musorstom NC691 ), Sta. 691 (21°33.8´S, 166°11.3´E), 33–34 m, 9 Aug. 1986 (bent ventrally; dorsal cirri purplish; branchial stems purplish along most chaetigers; anterior eyes 2×larger than posterior ones; body 15 mm long, 3 mm wide, 22 chaetigers). One specimen ( MNHN Musorstom NC712 ), Sta. 712 (21°24.5´S, 165°59.7´E), 47–49 m, 11 Aug. 1986 (bent ventrally; dorsal cirri purplish; branchiae pale; anterior eyes 3–4×larger than posterior ones; body 15 mm long, 4 mm wide, 24 chaetigers) .

Diagnosis. Chloeia with bipinnate branchiae from chaetiger 4, delicate, tapered, decreasing in size posteriorly; anterior eyes 3–4× larger than posterior ones; caruncle tapered; dorsum without pigmentation pattern; harpoon notochaetae with smooth tines; neurochaetae spurred and furcates.

Description. Holotype (AM W28128 ), fusiform, slightly distorted by compression in smaller container; posterior end bent dorsally; body 26 mm long, 6.5 mm wide, 31 chaetigers.

Holotype cream; dorsal cirri and second ventral cirri dark purple; branchial stems purplish ( Fig. 41A ), progressively paler along posterior chaetigers, posterior chaetigers with branchiae colorless; chaetae yellowish to transparent. Venter cream, midventral band paler, visible along body.

Prostomium anteriorly entire; anterior prostomial area purplish ( Fig. 41B ). Eyes reddish, anterior eyes 3–4× larger than posterior ones. Median antenna inserted at anterior caruncular margin, lost; size relationship to lateral antennae unknown. Lateral antennae bases separate from each other, left lost, right one with broken ceratostyle; size relationship to palps unknown. Palps incomplete. Mouth ventral on chaetiger 2. Pharynx not exposed.

Caruncle pale, straight, trilobed, tapered, reaching chaetiger 4. Median ridge plicate, barely pigmented, with about 28 vertical folds, partially concealing lateral lobes. Lateral lobes narrow, with about 32 vertical folds.

Bipinnate branchiae from chaetiger 4, divergent throughout body, progressively larger to chaetiger 9–12, small-er posteriorly. Median segments with 10–11 lateral branches.

Parapodia biramous, notopodia with cirriform branchiae along chaetigers 1–3, progressively smaller. Dorsal cirri 3× longer than bipinnate branchiae along median chaetigers, 4–5× longer in posterior chaetigers. Second ventral cirri with cirrophores 2× longer and wider, and cirrostyle 2× longer than adjacent ones, directed dorsally. Other ventral cirri directed ventrolaterally, as long as two subsequent segments.

Chaetae most complete, hoods rarely eroded. Notochaetae in anterior chaetigers furcates ( Fig. 41C ), major tines 5–6× longer than minor ones. Median chaetigers with three types of notochaetae ( Fig. 41E ): furcates with denticulate tines 3–4× longer than smooth ones, shorter aciculars, and harpoon-chaetae, most with basal tines, denticulate tines 2–4× longer than shortest ones. Neurochaetae in anterior chaetigers ( Fig. 41D ) spurred, longest tines 22—26× longer than shortest ones; median chaetigers with furcates ( Fig. 41F ), major tines 3–4× longer than minor ones, and spurred chaetae, major tines 17× longer than spurs.

Posterior end tapered ( Fig. 41G ); pygidium with anus terminal; anal cirri whitish, digitate, 4–5× longer than wide.

Live pigmentation. Unknown, likely dorsal cirri and branchiae with darker pigmentation.

Etymology. The specific epithet is after Dr. Anna Murray, Senior Fellow in the Australian Museum, Sydney, in recognition of her many publications on polychaetes, and after her involvement in the collection of polychaetes. The derived name is a noun in the genitive case ( ICZN 1999, Art. 31.1.2).

Remarks. Chloeia murrayae sp. n. is described with specimens from Australia and New Caledonia; by lacking a dorsal pigmentation pattern, and having bipinnate branchiae from chaetiger 4, becoming smaller along posterior region, it belongs in the group tumida. Further, because C. murrayae has a tapered caruncle, and pigmented dorsal cirri and branchiae, it resembles C. fauveli sp. n. described from the Bay of Bengal.

The main differences separating these two species are the size of anterior and posterior eyes, development of bipinnate branchiae, and presence of harpoon notochaetae in anterior chaetigers. Thus, C. murrayae has anterior eyes 3–4× larger than posterior ones, branchiae delicate, and no harpoon notochaetae in anterior chaetigers, whereas in C. fauveli anterior eyes are 8–10× larger than posterior ones, branchiae are massive, and there are harpoon notochaetae in chaetiger 3.

Distribution. Australia to New Caledonia, in sediments at 33–200 m water depth.

Figures

FIGURE 41. Chloeia murrayae sp. n., holotype (AM W28128). A. Anterior region, dorsal view. B. Anterior end, oblique dorsal view. C. Chaetiger 3, notochaetal tips. D. Same, neurochaetal tips. E. Chaetiger 15, notochaetal tips. F. Same, neurochaetal tips. G. Posterior region, dorsal view. Scale bars: A, 2.3 mm; B, 0.8 mm; C, E, 110 μm; D, F, 30 μm; G, 1.5 mm.