Flabelligera infundibularis Johnson, 1901

Salazar-Vallejo, Sergio I., 2012, Revision of Flabelligera Sars, 1829 (Polychaeta: Flabelligeridae) 3203, Zootaxa 3203 (1), pp. 1-64 : 20-22

Flabelligera infundibularis Johnson, 1901

Figure 6

Flabelligera infundibularis Johnson 1901:417 , Pl. 12, Figs. 124–127; Günther 1912:15; Chamberlin 1919b:398; Moore 1923:223; Hartman 1938:14; Berkeley & Berkeley 1952:7, Figs. 1–4 ; Støp-Bowitz 1948a:33; Hartman 1969:291–292, Figs. 1–5 .

Flabelligera affinis: Hobson & Banse 1981:58 , Fig. 11e (non Sars).

Type material. Northeastern Pacific Ocean. Lectotype (herein designated, MCZ-2503 ), and paralectotypes ( LACM-AHF-535 ), Scow Bay (48°03.75' N, 122°42.50' W), Puget Sound, Washington, U.S.A., Columbia University Zoological Expedition 1896, 6 fathoms, Jun. 1896, N. R. Harrington coll.

Additional material. Northeastern Pacific Ocean. Two specimens (ANSP-uncatalogued), Puget Sound, Washington, 1896, N.R. Harrington, coll. Two specimens ( CAS-5783 ), complete, without tunic, St. Paul’s Island, Pribilof , Bering Sea , summer 1897, A. Greely & R.E. Snodgrass, coll. Two specimens ( CAS-6101 ), complete, damaged, St. Paul’s Island , Pribilof , Bering Sea , summer 1897, A. Greely & R.E. Snodgrass, coll. One specimen ( CAS-22414 ) complete, damaged, Chukchi Sea , Alaska, Stat. 164 (70°19'48" N, 161°52'48" W), intertidal, 13 Aug. 1976, H. Webber, coll. Two specimens ( CAS-27355 ), very damaged, broken into anterior and posterior fragments, Stefansson Sound , Beaufort Sea , Alaska, in Boulder Patch (70°19.25' N, 147°35.1' W), 6 m, in rocks, 5 Mar. 1980. One specimen ( CAS-27895 ), very damaged anterior fragment, Pitt Point, Alaska, Stat. 1323 (71°22.4' N, 152°21.5' W), 83 m, sandy silt, 30 Aug. 1976, R.E. Ruff, coll. Three specimens ( USNM-186478 ), washed ashore, Point Barrow base, Alaska, 28 Sep. 1949, G. E. MacGinitie, coll .

Description. Lectotype (MCZ-2503) damaged, most tunic and neurohooks detached; body cylindrical, medially swollen, posteriorly tapered ( Fig. 6A ); 85 mm long, 10 mm wide, cephalic cage 6 mm long, 59 chaetigers. Tunic with a thick, whitish, lower layer in some portions of the body ( Fig. 6B, C ); without sediment; papillae long (in some specimens, with swollen basis), clavate, some mucronate.

Cephalic hood not exposed. Anterior end observed in paralectotype; prostomium low cone, with four eyes. Caruncle well developed, dividing the branchial plate, extended beyond the branchial plate margin ( Fig. 6D ). Palps thick, about as long as branchiae; palp bases round, large.

Branchiae divided into two lateral groups, over 100 filaments per group (less abundant in other specimens, Fig. 6E ). Nephridial lobes paired, lateral to caruncle, about the median distance of branchial groups.

Cephalic cage chaetae about 1/15 body length, as long as notochaetae in following chaetigers. Only chaetiger 1 involved in the cephalic cage, 40–42 notochaetae, 44–46 neurochaetae per side. Anterior dorsal margin of chaetiger 1 smooth (filamentous papillae probably lost). Anterior chaetigers without especially long papillae. Chaetigers 1–3 decreasing in size, chaetiger 1 longest. Chaetal transition from cephalic cage to body chaetae abrupt, neurohooks from chaetiger 2. Gonopodial lobes not seen.

Parapodia well developed, lateral; median neuropodia ventrolateral. Notopodia flat lobes. Neuropodia conical lobes. Noto- and neuropodia close to each other.

Median notochaetae arranged in transverse rows, multiarticulated capillaries, as long as half body width, 8–10 per ramus; articles very short basally, some chaetae multiarticulated in median or distal regions only, articles become slightly longer distally. Neurochaetae multiarticulated hooks from chaetiger 2 ( Fig. 6F, G ), mostly one per ramus, neuropodia 5–8 with two hooks per ramus. Handle articulation medially placed, articles irregular (Fibonacci); three articles: small, medium sized, and long. Other articles anchylosed, small, continued to the bending region. Crest slightly wider than handle, dark brown along the body, with darker distal half; width:length ratio 1:6.

Posterior end in better shape than rest of the body; tunic completely covering notochaetae; tapering, anus terminal, no anal cirri. Mature female (CAS-27355) with oocytes, about 125 µm each.

Remarks. Flabelligera infundibularis Johnson, 1901 belongs in the group of species with opaque tunics, but it differs from the other species by having a tunic without sediment particles and especially because there is an opaque external layer within the tunic. Pettibone (1954:289), probably following Støp-Bowitz, synonymized F. infundibularis with F. affinis but the latter included only reports from northeastern Europe. This northwestern American species was regarded as distinct by Hartman (1969:291; cf. Hartman 1938, Hartman 1963); but a contrary position was taken by Hobson & Banse (1981:58). However, there are slight differences in the color of the hooks, which are darker in F. infundibularis and the bending region is smoother (less fibrous) in F. affinis . Other differences may lie in the anterior end, in relation to the relative size of the eyes and probably on the relative position of the nephridial lobes. A recent publication ( Oug et al. 2011:5) cited this species as F. infundibuliformis , supposedly after the record by Wesenberg-Lund (1953:64, Fig. 4 ). However, the latter author did not alter the specific name, hesitated about the species because of the poorly preserved specimens, most without tunic, and made an illustration of the anterior end in ventral view. Oug et al. erroneously indicated that it was a dorsal view.

Johnson (1901) did not designate types; the type series includes several syntypes now held in two museums ( LACM-AHF and MCZ); however, all LACM-AHF syntypes are very damaged, broken or incomplete. Thus, the syntype in MCZ is herein designated as the lectotype, rendering the remaining specimens the paralectotypes.

Distribution. From the Gulf of Alaska to British Columbia (type locality), in shallow water. Harrington & Griffin (1897) found that what was later described as F. infundibularis was abundant in muddy bottoms in Puget Sound but recent studies failed to confirm this abundance, and the species was not listed among the top abundant invertebrates by Lie & Kisker (1970). The record for California ( Hartman 1969:291) cannot be confirmed because the specimens were in bad shape.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Flabelligera affinis Sars, 1829. A. Non-type specimens (ZMUB-18636), dorsal view. B. Non-type specimen (MNHN- 184b), anterior end, dorsal view. C. Same, anterior end, ventral view. D. Non-type specimen (MNHN-184a), anterior end, most tunic removed, head exposed (Ca: caruncle, LL: lateral lip, NL: nephridial lobe, PL: palp lobe). E. Non-type specimen (ZMUB- 2253), lateral view, most tunic removed. F. Same, chaetiger 10, notochaetal basal and medial regions (insert: subdistal regions). G. Same, chaetiger 10, neurochaetae (inserts: articulated, median region and crest). Scale bars: A: 1.3 mm, B: 2.3 mm, C: 2 mm, D: 0.5 mm, E: 10 mm, F: 195 µm, G: 120 µm.

FIGURE 2. Flabelligera bicolor (Schmarda, 1861). A. Syntype (BMNH-1908.5.9.33), lateral view. B. Same, anterior end, lateral view. C. Another syntype (BMNH-1908.5.9.33), head, frontal view (BS: branchial scars, Ca: caruncle, LL: lateral lip, VL: ventral lip). D. Same, chaetiger 10, basal and medial notochaetal regions. E. Same, neurohook. F. Same, posterior chaetiger, neurohook (insert: handle articulation). Scale bars: A: 2.2 mm, B: 2.3 mm, C: 1 mm, D: 66 µm, E: 0.30 mm, F: 0.38 mm.

FIGURE 3. Flabelligera bophortica Annenkova-Chlopina, 1924, syntypes (ZIRAS-27043). A. Best syntype, lateral view. B. Same, anterior end, oblique, ventrolateral view. C. Same, head, frontal view (BS: branchial scars, Ca: caruncle, DL: dorsal lip, LL: lateral lip, PS: palp scar, VL: ventral lip). D. Same, neuropodia 4–7, oblique, ventral view showing gonopodial lobes (GL), E. Same, chaetiger 10, notochaetae (inserts: basal, medial and subdistal regions). F. Same, posterior chaetiger, neurohooks (inserts: handle articulation and crest close-up). Scale bars: A: 3.3 mm, B: 1.3 mm, C: 0.5 mm, D: 0.8 mm, E: 320 µm, F: 260 µm.

FIGURE 4. Flabelligera diplochaitus (Otto, 1821). Non-type specimens (MNHN-507). A. Anterior end, dorsal view. B. Same, head, frontal view (BS: branchial scars, DL: dorsal lip, LL: lateral lip, VL: ventral lip). C. Same, close-up showing prostomium (Pr), base of caruncle (Ca), nephridial lobes (NL), and palp scars (PS). D. Another specimen, median chaetiger, cross section. E. Non-type specimens (MNHN-507), chaetiger 9, neurohooks (insert: handle articles). F. Another specimen (MNHN-184), head, frontal view, palps and branchiae removed; arrow indicates parasite. Scale bars: A: 1.2 mm, B: 0.5 mm, C: 0.2 mm, D: 0.7 mm, E: 0.4 mm, F: 0.7 mm.

FIGURE 5. Flabelligera haswelli new name, neotype (AM-8674). A. Complete, bent ventrally, anterior end in dorsal view. B. Same, anterior end in oblique, ventral view. C. Same, anterior end, oblique ventral view. D. Same, anterior end, ventral view. E. Same, chaetiger 14, neurohook. F. Same, chaetiger 22, neurohooks. Scale bars: A, B: 3.7 mm, C: 0.9 mm, D: 1 mm, E: 190 µm, F: 176 µm.

FIGURE 6. Flabelligera infundibularis Johnson, 1901. A. Lectotype (MCZ-2503), ventral view. B. Same, anterior end, dorsal view. C. Same, anterior end, ventral view. D. Paralectotype (LACM-AHF-535), head, frontal view (Ca: caruncle, LL: lateral lip, PS: palp scar, VL: ventral lip). E. Non-type specimen (USNM 186478), head, frontal view (BS: branchial scars, PS: palp scar). F. Lectotype, detached neurohook. G. Same, crest (insert: handle articulated portion). Scale bars: A: 7 mm, B: 2.4 mm, C: 2 mm, D, F: 0.5 mm, E: 1 mm, G: 112 µm.

FIGURE 11. Flabelligera pergamentacea Ehlers, 1913. A. Non-type specimen (ZIRAS-16343), lateral view. B. Same, anterior end, dorsal view. C. Large syntype (ZMB-6774), broken into two pieces, dried out. D. Non-type specimen (ZMH-8592), dried out. E. Non-type specimen (ZIRAS-16343), agglutinated sediment particles on tunic surface. F. Same, chaetiger 10, neurohook (inserts: crest and handle articulated region). Scale bars: A: 2.5 mm, B: 0.5 mm, C: 1.3 mm, D: 1.5 mm, E: 35 µm, F: 50 µm.