Eupolymnia rullieri, Londoño-Mesa, 2009

Londoño-Mesa, Mario H., 2009, Terebellidae (Polychaeta: Terebellida) from the Grand Caribbean region 2320, Zootaxa 2320 (1), pp. 1-93 : 31-34

Eupolymnia rullieri sp. nov.

Figures 8 A-L

Eupolymnia crassicornis, Rullier, 1974:67 .— Londoño-Mesa & Carrera-Parra, 2005:13–15 , Figs 4 A-C (non Schmarda, 1861).— Capa & Hutchings, 2006:9–10, Table 1.

Type material: Holotype ECOSUR 088 Majahual, Mexican Caribbean (18º43'01"N 87º42'23"W), 4.XII.1998, 2m. Paratypes: ECOSUR 089 (1) Xahuayxol, Mexican Caribbean (18º36'30"N 87º44'02"W), 29.X.1997 . ECOSUR 090 (1) Majahual, Mexican Caribbean (18º43'01"N 87º42'23"W), 21.VII.1998 . LACM-AHF Poly 2203 (4) Majahual, Mexican Caribbean E55 (18º43'01"N 87º42'23"W), 3.X.1996, 2m.

Additional material: Florida : UMML 22.992 (1) Florida Strait, R /V “Gerda” Sta. 977 3.II.1968; 183m. Gulf of Mexico : Veracruz State: ECOSUR TERE-24 (1) Sacrificios Island, 26.I.1962 . Campeche State : TERE-24 (6) Alacranes Reef, Perez Island, 26.VI.1988, 2m. Mexican Caribbean : Quintana Roo State: ECOSUR TERE- 24 (1) Ascension Bay , Sian Ka’an (19º37'05.57"N 87º35'33.3"W), 6.X.1983 . TERE-24 (1) Southern Cozumel Island (20º17'17.6"N 87º00'21.3"W), 10.X.1983, 2m. TERE-24 (1) Puerto Morelos (21º36'53.2"N 87º04'31.9"W), 6.II.1986, 2m. TERE-24 (1) Chinchorro Bank (1835'51"N 87°20'20.5"W), 28.VII.1990 . TERE-24 (1) Ixchen , Cozumel Island, 4.VI.1995, 2m. TERE-24 (1) Camping , Contoy Island (21°30'08.4"N 86°47'45.3"W), 23.I.1999 . TERE-24 (3) Aventuras Beach (20°20'15.5"N 87°20'31.7"W), 28.II.1999, 2m. TERE-24 (1) Majahual, 10.I.2001, 2.5m. TERE-24 (1) Nizuc Point , Cancun (21º02'11.7"N 86º46'44.2"W), 10.I.2001, 4m. TERE-24 (1) Nizuc Point , Cancun (21º02'11.7"N 86º46'44.2"W), 10.II.2001, 2m. TERE-24 (4) Camping, Contoy Island (21°30'08.4"N 86°47'45.3"W), 1.III.2001, 2.5m . TERE-24 (1) Southern windward, Contoy Island , 2.III.2001 , 2m, below coralline rock. TERE-24 (3) Xahuayxol, 2.VIII.2002, 1.5–2m,

below coralline rock. Antilles: LACM-AHF 2204 (2) Fosforescente Bay , La Parguera, Porto Rico (17º58'20"N 67º00'52"W), 15.III.1955 . ZMA V.Pol. 1123 (3) Caracoles Cay, Fosforescente Bay , La Parguera, Porto Rico (17º58'20"N 67º00'52"W), 8.II.1963 . ZMA V. Pol. 1129 (1) Porto Rico, 14.II.1963 . UMML 22.993 (1) Near San Vicente Island, Lesser Antilles (13°38'N 60°58'W), R/V “Pillsbury” Sta. 900; 9.VII.1969; 22m. UMML 22.1008 (1) Guadeloupe, Lesser Antilles, (16°26'N 61°36'W), R/V “Pillsbury” Sta. 943; 17.VII.1969; 31m. Panamanian Caribbean : UMML 22.994 (1) Golfo de los Mosquitos, (8°51'N 81°03'W), R/V “Pillsbury” Sta. 439; 20.VII.1966; 20m.

Etymology: This species is dedicated to the late François Rullier, a great French polychaete specialist, especially because of his paper on polychaetes from Cuba where he noticed the double rows of uncini started on chaetiger 7 in specimens identified by him as E. crassicornis but belonging to this new species.

Description: Holotype complete 88 segments, 80mm long, thorax 25mm long, 11mm wide. Body reddish, banded with grey rings in life ( Fig. 8A ); body light brown in preservation. Thorax swollen, tapering posteriorly; abdomen thinner than thorax, with visible segmentation. Tentacular membrane narrow, visible on ventral side ( Figs 8B,C ); eyespots abundant, dark-brown, small, in one belt on base of tentacular membrane ( Figs 8 D- F); tentacles long, numerous, forming mass. Upper lip well developed, spoon-shaped, with free edge projecting forwards, and stout base. Lower lip visible, large and swollen, ventrally limited by tentacular membrane lobes. Three pairs of lateral lappets from segment 2; first pair narrower than others; second and third pairs equal-sized; each with lateral swollen and folded membrane. Fourteen to fifteen ventral shields, pale, laterally enlarged, and decreasing in size; all shields with many folds and wrinkles; abdomen with mid-ventral longitudinal groove. Nephridial papillae on segments 3–4 and 6–10 ( Fig. 8G ), large, rounded, placed between noto- and neuropodia. Notopodial glandular tissue on segments 3–4 to 13–14. Branchiae branched, reddish, decreasing in length posteriorly; first pair almost twice as long as second, second twice as long as third; three to four levels of ramification, short digitate filaments, cauliflower-shaped ( Fig. 8H ). Notochaetae asymmetrically bilimbate ( Fig. 7I ), with short and distal limbs; chaeta dark at base, with some longitudinal striations; dorsal chaetae longer than ventral ones. Uncini on segments 5–9 ( Fig. 8J ) MF:3:4; PP developed, triangular; PF absent; Oc long, concave; Cp with 2 rows of teeth above MF, the first with 3 long teeth, the second with 4 smaller teeth; USr concave, formed by MF and well-developed SrP; LSr concave ending as short, pointed AP; AF thin; Bs concave. Uncini from segment 10–20 ( Fig. 8K ) in double separated rows. Thoracic neuropodia as long as three times abdominal ones. Thoracic and abdominal uncini resembling each other ( Fig. 8L ). Abdominal neuropodia well developed, as swollen lappets with short rows of uncini, sometimes straight or semicurved. Pygidium circular, with around 20 anal rounded papillae. Tube made of large coral fragments and shells, red and white foraminifera attached and wrapping to inner weak membrane; tube can exceed 250mm long and 20mm wide, with some curves along it when attached to under rocks; anterior and posterior ends equal-sized and open.

Staining pattern: These specimens have the same staining pattern as E. nebulosa , described above.

Variations: Thorax ranges from 10–16mm long and 3–7mm wide, due to poorly preserved nature of the animals, and the way they were relaxed and fixed. Some specimens have tentacles finely banded with brown; this variation is also found in other species of terebellids, and may be due to intra-specific polymorphism.

Discussion: Eupolymnia rullieri sp. nov., differs from all other species in the genus by having only the first five thoracic uncinigers with uncini arranged in single rows. Rullier (1974) identified similar specimens from Cuba as E. crassicornis ( Schmarda, 1861) , indicating that Terebella turgidula Ehlers, 1887 was its junior synonym. Nevertheless, although Schmarda (1861) and Ehlers (1887) did not mention the number of thoracic segments with uncini in single rows, they regarded E. crassicornis as having 25 pairs of notopodia and T. turgidula having 18 pairs of notopodia ( Treadwell, 1901).

Eupolymnia rullieri sp. nov., also differs from E. magnifica , from Bermuda, in the presence of eyespots, in the color of live animals reddish banded with grey rings, notochaetae asymmetrically bilimbate, with distal limbs, and the shape of abdominal uncini, presenting a short AP. The main diagnostic feature of this species is the presence of the first five thoracic neuropodia with uncini in single rows has not been reported previously for any other species in this genus from the Caribbean region. According to Capa and Hutchings (2006) Eupolymnia dubia (Caullery, 1944) , and E. robusta (Caullery, 1944) both from Indonesia, also have the first five thoracic neuropodia with uncini in single rows, and eyespots in the tentacular membrane. Nevertheless, without any world taxonomic revision of the genus, but with the information given by Capa and Hutchings (2006), the latter species also differs in the number of uncinal teeth. While E. rullieri sp. nov., (as E. crassicornis ) has uncini with MF:3:4, these other species have uncini with MF:2:1. Additionally, E. dubia seems to differ with regard to the shape of the lateral lappets, with the third pair closest to notopodia, while in the others two species the lateral lappets are inserted dorsally.

Type locality: Majahual , Southern Mexican Caribbean .

Distribution: Gulf of Mexico and Grand Caribbean ; intertidal to 183m.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Enoplobranchus sanguineus (Syntype YPM 8909): A. Dorsal view. B. Anterior end in dorsal view. C. Anterior end in ventral view. D. Ventral view. E. Lateral view. F. Thoracic notopodia from segment 4. G. Notopodia from segment 5. H. Notopodia from mid-thoracic region. I. Abdominal notopodia. Scale bars: A,D,E: 5.5mm; B,C: 2.7mm; F: 0.4mm; G: 0.5mm; H: 0.5mm; I: 0.6mm.

FIGURE 7. Eupolymnia crassicornis: A. Anterior end. B. Chaeta. C. Uncinus (improved from Schmarda, 1861). Eupolymnia magnifica (Syntype USNM 4799): D. Anterior thoracic region in lateral view. E. Anterior end in lateral view. F. First seven parapodia in lateral view. G. Branchiae: longer (right) from segment 2, shorter (left) from segment 4. H. Bilimbate notochaetae from segment 10. I. Uncinus from segment 5. J. Uncinus from segment 11. K. Uncinus from segment 25. Eupolymnia nebulosa (NHM 1910.2.1): L. Bilimbate notochaeta from segment 11. M. Uncinus from segment 5. N. Uncinus from segment 11. O. Uncinus from segment 25. Scale bars: A,B,C: No original scale; D: 6mm; E,F: 3.6mm; G: 6mm; H,L: 0.9mm; I-K,M-O: 0.08mm.

FIGURE 8. Eupolymnia rullieri sp. nov., (Holotype ECOSUR 088): A. Thoracic region lateral view. B. Anterior end in ventral view. C. Anterior end in lateral view. D-F. Anterior end in dorsal view. G. Anterior thoracic region in lateral view. H. Branchiae: longer (right) from segment 2, shorter (left) from segment 4. I. Bilimbate notochaeta from segment 10. J. Uncinus from segment 5. K. Uncinus from segment 11. L. Uncinus from segment 25. Scale bars: A: 7.5mm; B,C: 1.6mm; D,E,F: 2.3mm; G: 1.9mm; H: 2.1mm; I: 0.05mm; J,K,L: 0.02mm.