?Spiraserpula sp.

Bastida-Zavala, Rolando, 2012, Serpula and Spiraserpula (Polychaeta, Serpulidae) from the Tropical Western Atlantic and Gulf of Guinea, ZooKeys 198, pp. 1-23 : 11

?Spiraserpula sp. Figs 7 M–N 8

Material examined.

Venezuela. One specimen (UMML 22.1060), RV Pillsbury, cruise 6806, sta. 745, North of Los Roques Islands, 11°58'N, 66°50'W, 10-feet otter trawl, 65 m, July 24, 1968.

Description.

Tube attached to a chaetopterid tube, is white and lacks any internal ridges characteristic of Spiraserpula . External surface with granular appearance, internally smooth. Body white, fragmented and damaged but complete. Branchial crown with nine radioles per lobe; lacking inter-radiolar membrane.

Peduncle smooth, inserted in right lobe, with well-defined constriction between it and operculum (Figs 7M). Pseudoperculum club-shaped. Operculum is zygomorphic; with a conspicuous bulbous basal part above constriction (Fig. 7M). Interradial grooves 1/3 of funnel length; 19 radii with rounded tips (Fig. 7N); inner surface smooth (Fig. 7N).

Collar damaged, lobes could not be observed. Bayonet chaetae with 2-3 sharp-elongate teeth; hooded (capillary) chaetae present. Thorax with eight chaetigers, including collar chaetae. Abdomen damaged, with approximately 61 segments, a distinct achaetous region absent between the thorax and abdomen.

Distribution.

Only recorded from Los Roques Islands, Venezuela.

Ecology.

Sublittoral, 65 m. The same sample contained other serpulids: Spiraserpula karpatensis , Spiraserpula ypsilon , several empty tubes of serpulids resembling Protula and Vermiliopsis , a chaetopterid tube, and a lumbrinerid.

Remarks.

Most of the tube belonging to this specimen is missing and the remaining fragments lacked the internal ridges characteristic of Spiraserpula . The operculum of this Spiraserpula sp. resembles that of Spiraserpula karpatensis , Spiraserpula plaiae Pillai & ten Hove, 1994 and Spiraserpula sumbensis Pillai & ten Hove, 1994; the former two are from Caribbean and the latter is from Indonesia. Due to the loss of the rest of the tube the present specimen cannot be assigned to species. It may be a juvenile stage of another genus, such as Crucigera or Serpula .