Polycirrus luminosus Verrill, 1900

Glasby, Christopher J. & Hutchings, Pat, 2014, Revision of the taxonomy of Polycirrus Grube, 1850 (Annelida: Terebellida: Polycirridae), Zootaxa 3877 (1), pp. 1-117 : 66-67

Polycirrus luminosus Verrill, 1900

Fig. 34a–c

Polycirrus luminosus Verrill, 1900: 666 .

Type locality. Bermuda .

Material examined. SYNTYPES?: 4, YPM No. 1311. Bermuda, Bailey Bay , 32°19ʹ16.98ʺ N, 64°45ʹ26.53ʺ W, coll. A.E. Verrill and party, 1901 .

Description. Possible syntype specimens well preserved with body wall and chaetae largely intact, consists of four posteriorly incomplete specimens and several headless fragments. Alcohol-preserved animals yellowishbrown in colour, 2–7 mm long, 0.2–0.7 mm wide excluding buccal tentacles, 10–21 segments. Sex unknown.

Dorsum anteriorly tessellated. Venter anteriorly with mid-ventral groove and discrete ventro-lateral pads; pads tessellated, extending to segment 12. Mid-ventral groove from segment 3.

Buccal tentacles numerous, of two types: (1) cylindrical, thickened distally, distinctly grooved and (2) cylindrical, uniformly thin, weakly grooved, both arising at junction between prostomium and upper lip. Prostomial ridge distinctly curved, extending laterally along anterodorsal base of upper lip. Upper lip prominent medial lobe and small wing-like lateral lobes, margin of medial lobe straight. Inner lower lip hidden by upper lip; outer region flat, shield-like, subtriangular and pointing toward mouth, extending posteriorly to segment 3. Achaetous segments visible dorsally but obscured by expanded outer lower lip ventrally.

Notochaetigerous segments 25, extending to segment 27 (minimum); posteriorly incomplete. Notopodia digitiform, decreasing in size posteriorly, prechaetal lobe low, postchaetal lobe digitiform, postchaetal lobe equal long to prechaetal or slightly longer than prechaetal. Notochaetae within a chaetiger consisting of one type (chaetigers 4, 16, 25 examined), gradually elongating from dorsal to ventral, hirsute, uniformly tapered, posteriorly same form as those anteriorly, although fewer ( Fig. 34a ). Neurochaetae beginning on segment 10 and present on all remaining segments (but all material is incomplete). Neuropodial tori ridge-like, similar along body. Uncini with short neck and straight to convex base (Type 1), teeth above main fang arranged in double transverse series (MF:1:10) enlarged median tooth above main fang present, subrostral process present as low, angular protuberance ( Fig. 34b, c ).

Nephridial papillae present, globular. Pre-gular membrane nephridial papillae absent. Post-gular membrane nephridial papillae present, extending from segment 5 to 11; situated at ventral base of notopodia.

Comments. Although the material examined is not labelled as types, it matches well with the description by Verrill (1900) and is from the same locality, Bailey Bay, Bermuda. We agree with Londoňo-Mesa (2009) that they are probably the type specimens. The view that P. luminosus is a junior synonym of P. purpureus (type locality, Jamaica) held by Hartman (1959), Holthe (1986a), and Londoño-Mesa (2009) is not accepted here as differences were noted in the types of both species including the form of the upper lip and shape of the uncini (see below for description of P. purpureus ). Possibly the view is based on Augener’s (1925) opinion that the two species are synonymous, but Augener’s view was based on an examination of the types of only one of these species ( P. purpureus ).

Figures

FIGURE 34. Polycirrus luminosus Verrill. a–c. Non type specimen YPM 1311a. Notochaeta illustrated at x40 and x100 from notopodium, chaetiger 25. b. Frontal view of uncinus from chaetiger 16. c. Lateral view of uncinus from chaetiger 25.