New polychaete (Annelida) records and a new species from Hong Kong: the families Polynoidae, Sigalionidae, Chrysopetalidae, Pilargiidae, Nereididae, Opheliidae, Ampharetidae and Terebellidae
Author
Muir, Alexander I.
Author
Bamber, Roger N.
text
Journal of Natural History
2008
2008-03-31
42
9 - 12
797
814
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222930701850455
journal article
10.1080/00222930701850455
1464-5262
5224913
Sigambra papagayu
Bamber
sp. nov.
(
Figure 1
)
Material
Holotype
(
Registration No.
NHM.2003. 1081) mature, containing eggs,
Fan Tsang Chau (Conic Island) Cave
,
Hong Kong
, 22
°
219540
N 114
°
239220E; sample C2, sediment 18% gravel, 25% sand, 57% silt/clay, depth
15 m
, water temperature 22
°
C. Coll. N.J. Evans
and
P.F. Clark
,
21 October 2002
.
Paratypes
: 1 further specimen from sample C2,
1 specimen
,
Conic Island
sample C5 (NHM.2003.1082–1083) (data as holotype)
.
Description
Holotype
,
22.81 mm
long for 122 chaetigers, greatest width
1.5 mm
; mature
paratype
from C5,
17.25 mm
for 126 chaetigers. Greatest width around chaetigers 10 to 15.
Prostomium, peristomium and anterior 2 to 4 chaetigers pale to white; remainder of body brown to reddish brown. Integument generally smooth; evidence of segmentation more obvious in posterior chaetigers.
Prostomium (
Figures 1A, B
) truncate, slightly indented anteriorly at insertion of palps. Palps short, biarticulate; palpodes rounded, fused dorsally. Three antennae, median antenna 1.75 times length of lateral antennae. Eyes absent. Pharynx without jaws but with eight conspicuous rounded papillae.
Figure 1.
Sigambra papagayu
sp. nov.
, holotype: A, anterior end, dorsal; B, anterior end, ventral; C, pygidium, dorsal; D, 40th parapodium; E, detail of, from left to right, serrate capillary neurochaeta, pectinate chaeta and tip of neuroaciculum.Scale line51 mm for A to C, 0.3 mm for D.
Peristomium twice as long as first chaetiger. Two pairs of tapering tentacular cirri both longer than lateral antennae, dorsal cirri longer than ventral.
Pygidium (
Figure 1C
) rounded, with two long cirri, 0.85 times length of median antenna; anus ventrodistal.
Parapodia (
Figure 1D
) biramous, lateral. Notopodia with straight, blunt-tipped internal acicula. Dorsal cirrus of chaetiger 1 longest, longer than median antenna; subsequent dorsal cirri shorter (on average 0.6 of median antenna, 2.5 times length of neuropodium), those of chaetigers 2 to 4 shorter than subsequent cirri. Large hooks emergent from between chaetiger 3 to 5 and the last chaetiger, with two papillae adjacent to point of emergence but no other chaetae.
Neuropodia pointed, with aciculum tapering to a point. Ventral cirri absent on second chaetigers, otherwise present, tapering, shorter than dorsal cirri. Neurochaetae (
Figures 1D, E
) 12 or 13 chaetae dorsal of aciculum, including slender, curved, serrate capillaries, their serrations low and rounded, otherwise simple capillary chaetae; 20 to 30 simple capillaries ventral of aciculum; pair of distinct pectinate chaetae distal on neuropodium, each with 14 to 17 ‘‘teeth’’ and naked slender distal extension.
Etymology
Named for a parrot which was an integral part of the field and laboratory team in
Hong Kong
.
Remarks
The familial association of the genus
Sigambra
is discussed by
Paterson and Glover (2000)
. With their description of the abyssal species
Sigambra magnuncus
, there are 17 species of
Sigambra
previously described.
Sigambra magnuncus
differs from the present species in many ways, notably in having notochaetae adjacent to the hooks. The remaining 16 described species of the genus are reviewed by
Licher and Westheide (1997)
, who present a key to the genus.
Sigambra papagayu
sp. nov.
is a large species, falling into that group of the genus with eight pharyngeal papillae, no ventral cirrus on chaetiger 2, ventral cirri shorter than dorsal cirri, and no eyes. In having no notochaetae adjacent to the dorsal hooks it is distinct from all species in that group. It is most similar to
S. qingdaoensis
Licher and Westheide, 1997
, taken from muddy sediments at Qingdao,
China
, at an undescribed depth; that species has a single ‘‘long’’ capillary notochaeta.
Sigambra qingdaoensis
also has the serrated neurochaetae as found in
S. papagayu
, but not the pair of short pectinate neurochaetae; chaetae similar to the latter are described for
S. phuketensis
Licher and Westheide, 1997
from the Andaman Sea, a species with single capillary notochaetae and 14 subequal pharyngeal papillae.
Sigambra papagayu
was collected from
14 to 20 m
depth in muddy sand sediments with shell breccia. The species was characteristic of the muddier cave community, while never being abundant. Four further specimens were recorded at stations A, at the mouth of, and one at station B, a few metres inside the mouth of, Conic Island Cave (sediments 38% sand, 39% silt-clay, and 25% sand, 57% silt-clay respectively).