Sabellariidae from Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, including a new species of Lygdamis and notes on external morphology of the median organ
Author
Capa, María
Author
Faroni-Perez, Larisse
Author
Hutchings, Pat
text
Zootaxa
2015
4019
1
184
206
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.4019.1.10
52ee815e-9e7e-40c3-b900-e0e03f07c8ae
1175-5326
245139
28811FA6-340B-42AE-9D3A-12BA3BFC7EF6
Genus
Gesaia
Kirtley, 1994
Gesaia
Kirtley, 1994
: 166
.
Type-species.
Phalacrostemma elegans
Hartman & Fauchald, 1971
: 152
(not
Fauvel 1911
).
Remarks.
This planktonic larva is provided with four parathoracic segments, simple (unbranched) feeding tentacles, nuchal hooks (with strongly bent sharp tips), and without limbations, operculum completely divided in two lobes, features that are characteristic for
Gesaia
species (
Kirtley 1994
; Capa
et al
. 2012; Capa &
Hutchings 2015
). The paleae morphology, with straight and cylindrical outer and inner paleae, and paleae arrangement, with outer paleae forming a semicircle and the inner paleae in an almost straight line between opercular lobes, is also most similar to benthic stages of members of this genus. However, the thecal ornamentation of the paleae, indicated to be the most important morphological trait for
Gesaia
species discrimination (
Kirtley 1994: 166–167
) observed in the larva described herein differs from other
Gesaia
species.