A new species of Marphysa Quatrefages, 1865 (Polychaeta: Eunicida: Eunicidae) from northern Australia and a review of similar taxa from the Indo-west Pacific, including the genus Nauphanta Kinberg, 1865
Author
Glasby, Christopher J.
Author
Hutchings, Pat A.
text
Zootaxa
2010
2352
29
45
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.193484
9a1435dd-b4a9-4055-9f47-3b992adc83e5
1175-5326
193484
Marphysa mossambica
(
Peters, 1854
)
Eunice mossambica
Peters, 1854
: 612
.
Nauphanta novae Hollandiae
Kinberg, 1865
: 564
; 1910: 43, pl. 16, fig. 23, 23B, C, F, G.
Marphysa mossambica
. –
Gravier, 1900
: 267
, pl. 14, figs 89−90, text figs. 137−137;
Crossland, 1903
: 139
−140, pl. 15, figs 7−10;
Day 1967
, 395, fig. 17.5 i −m.
Marphysa simplex
Treadwell, 1922
: 151
−152, text-fig. 39, pl. 5, figs 8−12.
Nauphanta mossambica
. –
Fauchald, 1987
: 376
−378, fig. 1.
Material examined.
Australia
, Northern Territory, Ludmilla Creek mouth, 12˚24.8' S 130˚50.0' E 1(
NTM
W60), 1(
NTM
W61), coll. R.J. Hanley,
18 Dec. 1981
, inside rotting timber among mangroves; same location 1(
NTM
W67), coll. R.J. Hanley,
26 Nov 1981
, burrowing in mangrove mud; same location, 2(
NTM
W153), coll. R.J. Hanley,
12
Mar. 1982
, in mud among roots of
Rhizophora stylosa
, Gunn Point
, 12˚9.5' S 131˚00.5' E, 2(
NTM
W154), coll. R.J. Hanley,
4 Oct. 1981
, inside rotting timber,
R. stylosa
, Field
Island, 12˚06.90’S 132˚25.20’E, muddy reef, coll. C.J. Glasby,
20 Aug. 2004
, 1(
NTM
W23043). Western
Australia
, Kimberley region, coll. R.J. Hanley, 1994, RH 94/11, 1(
NTM
W23044), 5(
NTM
W23045).
Comparative material
.
Marphysa mossambica
sensu
Monro, 1931
, Low Isles, Queensland, 16˚23’S 145˚34’E, Great Barrier Reef, Sts A19, 19a, coll.
18.4.1929
, 2(AM W2956).
Description.
Present material ranged from 2.2–9.0 mm maximum body width. Branchiae first present on chaetiger 14−46, maximum number of filaments (3−6) on mid-posterior body. Pectinate chaetae asymmetrical throughout, with 15–25 teeth in anterior chaetigers, 30−40 teeth in posterior chaetigers; bidentate subacicular hooks from chaetigers 23−68, continue as one per parapodium for several chaetigers then disappear for few chaetigers, but may reappear again later [
Crossland (1903)
also commented on the loss of chaetae in the mid- and posterior body parapodia, particularly subacicular hooks, in this species; but this feature may be more widespread across the family (
Zanol
et al.
2007
)].
Remarks
. The synonymy of
Nauphanta novaehollandiae
with
M. mossambica
, first proposed by
Gravier (1900)
was supported by
Crossland (1903)
and
Augener (1922)
. However,
Fauchald (1987)
disagreed, considering that the
types
of both species differed sufficiently such that the two species could be recognised, viz. ‘branchiae are present from setiger 30 and subacicular hooks from setiger
44 in
Nauphanta novaehollandiae
;
branchiae are present from setiger 37 or later and subacicular hooks not until setiger
58 in
N. mossambica
’. Also, he found slight (but unspecified) differences in shape of the subacicular hooks. However as demonstrated below, the differences in where the branchiae and hooks start can be accounted for by size-related variation taking into consideration the much smaller size of the
holotype
of
Nauphanta novaehollandiae
compared to the
lectotype
of
N. mossambica
(117 chaetigers,
4 mm
wide compared to 420 chaetigers,
10 mm
wide) (
Fig. 4A, B
). The range of variation in these two characters in our material (branchiae from chaetigers 14−46, subacicular hooks from chaetigers 23−68) encompasses both species.
The present material shows a positive linear relationship between body size (x) and the chaetiger on which the branchiae and subacicular hooks appear, as follows:
Branchiae, y = 5.2999x – 1.8029 (
r2
= 0.94;
n
= 15;
P
<0.001)
Subacicular hooks, y = 7.4469x + 5.0369 (
r2
= 0.89;
n
= 15;
P
<0.001)
When the data for the
lectotype
of
M. mossambica
(which at
10 mm
wide is about the same size as the larger specimens in this study) and the
holotype
of
M. novaehollandiae
were included in the analysis the regression values decreased slightly for both branchiae and subacicular hooks (viz.
r2
= 0.86 and
r2
= 0.87 respectively), but the change was not statistically significant (
P
<0.001;
Fig. 4A, B
). Therefore, it is highly likely that the northern Australian forms, the
lectotype
of
M. mossambica
from
Mozambique
, and the
holotype
of
M. novaehollandiae
represent populations of a single species.
The synonymy of
Marphysa simplex
Treadwell, 1922
, described from Suva Harbour,
Fiji
with
Marphysa mossambica
is newly proposed. Although Treadwell apparently misreported the chaetiger (=somite) on which the branchiae begin as somite 242 (the total number of somites was reported to be about 200!), all other key features agree with those of a small-sized specimen of
Marphysa mossambica
.
Notwithstanding the relegation of
Marphysa simplex
Treadwell, 1922
to junior synonymy, this is the second case of secondary homonymy in the genus, the senior homonym being
Marphysa simplex
Langerhans, 1884
(as
Amphiro simplex
) from Madeira.
Other records of
M. mossambica
from Australian waters are confused. The record of the species from
Saint Vincent
Gulf South
Australia
by
Fauvel (1917)
is a misidentification as he illustrates the presence of a compound spiniger, which places it in the B2
Marphysa
group. The second report of the species from Australia—from the Low Isles, Great Barrier Reef by
Monro (1931)
—could not be verified as the two specimens now lack anterior chaetigers including the head. The only other records of the species from
Australia
are Kinberg’s original description of
N. novaehollandiae
from Sydney Harbour (
holotype
later redescribed by
Fauchald 1987
), and Augener’s (1922) report of
Marphysa novaehollandiae
from Cape York, Queensland.
Distribution
. Tropical and subtropical Indo-west Pacific including
Zanzibar
,
Mozambique
, Red Sea, northern
Australia
,
Philippines
and
Fiji
.
TABLE 2.
(continued)
M. fauchaldi
M. borradailei
M. furcellata
M. graveleyi
M. macintoshi
M.
M. mullawa
M.
M. teretiuscula
M. tamurai
n. sp.
mossambica
orientalis
(=
M. simplex
)
Mandibles lighter black and lighter lighter black, no dark brown, brown, white dark brown, white edging dark brown,
coloured white coloured coloured white edging lighter cutting plate white present whitish
cutting plate cutting plate cutting plate coloured encrustation anterior plates
cutting plate on anterior
plates Maxillae black with black and? mostly light black, no brown, edges uniform light uniformly white edging?
paler bases white coloured white edging and sutures brown dark present
darker brown
Mx II – no. teeth (one 5+6 6 5 5+6 4+5 5–7 4 3 3–4 4 side)
Branchiae – first chaetiger Branchiae – end |
22–32 last chaetiger to 10th last chaetiger |
7–60 about 10th last chaetiger |
21–23 near end |
22–52 about 20th last chaetiger |
30–52 near end (last few segments missing on syntype) |
37–49 (14– 46) about 20–25th last chaetiger |
24–27 about 10th last chaetiger |
35–45 about 30th last chaetiger |
after 30 nr end |
42 prob near end. (tail missing) |
Branchiae – max. No. |
6–9 |
10–20 |
6 |
5–9 |
6 |
6 |
4–5 |
3 |
4–5 |
7 |
Filaments |
Post-chaetal lobe: |
low and broad |
sub-conical |
low and broad |
low and broad |
low and broad |
low and broad |
sub-conical |
‘rounded |
low and broad |
large broad |
shape anteriorly |
lobe’ |
lobe |
Pectinate chaetae – |
first few |
~150 |
? |
10–20 |
first few |
first few |
first few |
mid body |
? |
at least from |
first present |
chaetigers |
chaetigers |
chaetigers |
chaetigers |
chaetigers |
chaetiger 20 |
(present
observations) continued next page