Ophryotrocha craigsmithi, Wiklund, Helena, Glover, Adrian G. & Dahlgren, Thomas G., 2009

Wiklund, Helena, Glover, Adrian G. & Dahlgren, Thomas G., 2009, Three new species of Ophryotrocha (Annelida: Dorvilleidae) from a whale-fall in the North-East Atlantic, Zootaxa 2228, pp. 43-56 : 48

Ophryotrocha craigsmithi sp. nov. ( Figs 2 A–D)

Material examined: Northern North Atlantic, coastal Skagerrak, 58° 53.1’ N; 11° 06.4’ E, female with eggs, 7 mm long, preserved in formaldehyde, from experimental aquaria containing bones sampled from a Minke whale carcass, which was implanted at 125 m depth, holotype ( SMNH T- 7817); same location, one specimen, not complete, preserved in formaldehyde, paratype (NHM2009.26), same location three specimens preserved in ethanol for DNA extraction. Fishfarm in Svåsand, Hardangerfjord, 84 and 150 m depth, ten specimens preserved in ethanol for DNA extraction.

Description: Colour pale red or transparent with red branchia-like structures on dorsal and ventral sides, the dorsal being very large and rounded in form, partly covering the dorsum ( Fig. 2 A). Body shape elongated, tapering slightly at posterior end.

Prostomium with digitiform paired antennae inserted dorsally. Palps papilliform with palpophores, inserted laterally on prostomium. No eyes. Jaws of P-type, mandibles L-shaped with serration anteriorly. Maxillae with 7 free denticles ( Fig. 2 B)

Two peristomial achaetous segments. Parapodia uniramous with dorsal and ventral cirri and cirriform acicular lobe, supraacicular chaetae simple, subacicular chaetae compound with serrated blades ( Figs 2 C–D). Subacicular setal lobe with simple chaetae.

Pygidium with terminal anus and two pygidial cirri, unpaired appendage absent.

Distribution: Known from the minke whale carcass at 125 m depth (58°53.1’N; 11°06.4’E) in the Koster area in Sweden, and from sediment sampled at 84 and 150 m depth beneath a fish farm in Hardangerfjord in Norway.

Etymology: Ophryotrocha craigsmithi is named after Professor Craig R. Smith in recognition of his encompassing work with whale fall habitats.

Remarks: This species is similar to Palpiphitime lipovskyae , O. platykephale Blake, 1985 , O. wubaolingi Miura, 1997 and P. lobifera in having branchial structures both dorsally and ventrally. It differs from O. platykephale in the form of prostomium and parapodia, from O. wubaolingi in the shape of the parapodia, and from P. l o b i f e r a in the form of the dorsal branchial structures, and in the absence of eyes. It seems to be most similar to the recently described P. lipovskyae from sediment beneath fish farms in western Canada. Palpiphitime lipovskyae is reported to have jaws of both P- and K-type. So far no specimens of O. craigsmithi have been found with K-type jaws, but it can not be ruled out that it does not possess them. Ophryotrocha craigsmithi differs from P. lipovskyae genetically, and in the presence of a prominent ventral chaetal lobe with a protruding simple chaeta in O. craigsmithi . Accession numbers for DNA sequences from O. craigsmithi , published on GenBank: GQ415459 (16S), GQ415474 ( COI), GQ415493 (H3).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Ophryotrocha craigsmithi sp. nov., (A) live photo, (B) light micrograph of jaws, (C) light micrograph of parapodium, (D) light micrograph of compound chaetae. Scale bar in (B) is 500 µm, in (C) 100 µm, in (D) 25 µm.