Flabelligera buski ( McIntosh, 1869 )

Salazar-Vallejo, Sergio I., 2012, Revision of Flabelligera Sars, 1829 (Polychaeta: Flabelligeridae) 3203, Zootaxa 3203 (1), pp. 1-64 : 16

Flabelligera buski ( McIntosh, 1869)

Siphonostoma buskii McIntosh 1869:420 , Pl. 15, Fig. 13a , Pl. 16, Fig. 4 .

Flabelligera buskii: McIntosh 1908:533 (n. comb.); 1915:114-115, Pl. 96, Fig. 11 , Pl. 102, Figs. 3-3b , Pl. 104, Figs. 8-8b .

Material examined. None available.

Diagnosis. Tunic transparent. Body brick-red. Neurohooks often in pairs, handle articles long; crests very long, width:length ratio 1:9.

Remarks. Flabelligera buski ( McIntosh, 1869) , a rather poorly described species, resembles F. bophortica Annenkova-Chlopina, 1924 because both have neurohooks with long crests. They differ because in F. buski neuropodia have two neurohooks per ramus and their crests are very long (width:length ratio 1:9), whereas in F. bophortica most neuropodia have single neurohooks and the crests are shorter (width:length ratio 1:6(7)). On the other hand, according to Newbigin (1900:194), juveniles of F. diplochaitus have two hooks per rami, and since their hooks have typically long crests, F. buski might be more closely allied to this species ( Haase 1915:174). This confusion might be resolved with more specimens of F.buski , especially adult ones, which should have fully developed neurochaetal numbers.

The species has been regarded as juvenile F. affinis ; even McIntosh repeatedly indicated this resemblance. However, because there are two hooks per rami and that the crests are unusually long, this might be a different species. However, because there is no material available, the final decision about its specific status must be postponed. Until then, the species might be regarded as species inquerenda.

Distribution: Off Loch Maddy, Northwestern Scotland, subtidal.

Figures

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 8. Flabelligera multipapillata Hartmann-Schröder, 1965, Holotype (ZMH-14911). A. Dorsal view. B. Anterior end, dorsal view; greenish due to methyl green staining. C. Same, chaetiger 12, neurohook (insert: basal and distal regions, enlarged). Scale bars: A: 1.7 mm, B: 0.6 mm, C: 150 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.

FIGURE 13. Flabelligera salazarae n. sp. A. Holotype (ECOSUR 117), dorsal view. B. Same, anterior end, ventral view. C. Paratype (ECOSUR), head, frontal view, palps and most branchiae removed (BS: branchial scars, Ca: caruncle, LL: lateral lip, NL: nephridial lobe, PS: palp scar, VL: ventral lip). D. Holotype, chaetigers 3–6, left side, ventral view, methyl green stained, arrows point gonopodial lobes. E. Same, chaetiger 24, neurohook (inserts: multiarticulated region and crest). Scale bars: A: 1.5 mm, B: 1 mm, C: 0.2 mm, D: 0.4 mm, E: 230 µm.