First record and establishment of Branchiomma coheni (Polychaeta: Sabellidae) in the Atlantic Ocean and review of non – indigenous species of the genus
Author
Keppel, Erica
Author
Tovar, Maria Ana
Author
Ruiz, Gregory
text
Zootaxa
2015
4058
4
499
518
journal article
39241
10.11646/zootaxa.4058.4.3
12fc2679-0c4c-455c-8ff3-96c8b5820362
1175-5326
244288
CADABB59-580D-42ED-BD42-2904CD914239
Branchiomma japonicum
(
McIntosh, 1885
)
This species was described from Kobé,
Japan
in 1885.
Carlton & Eldredge (2009)
regarded
B. japonicum
as introduced in Hawaii, given its largely harbor and fouling habitat in the Islands and the highly disjunct distribution between
Japan
and Hawaii. However, confusion arises when trying to track records of
B. japonicum
, a species name which is under a subjective synonym (
B. cingulatum
(
Grube, 1870
)
. In addition, one
Branchiomma
species originally described from Honolulu (
B. havaicum
Kinberg, 1867
) was synonymized with
B. cingulatum
by
Hartman (1948)
.
Augener (1914)
and
Imajima & Hartman (1964)
suggested that
B. japonicum
is synonym of
B. cingulatum
, a species described originally from the
Fiji islands
. However,
Augener (1914)
and
Imajima & Hartman (1964)
did not provide any evidence or comments about this consideration and stylodes were not described.
Knight-Jones (1994)
introduced both names (
B. cingulatum
and
B. japonicum
) as separate species while trying to form groups based on artificial categories, but any indication about the status of both species was not provided. She was reported to be in the process of redescribing
B. cingulatum
, but unfortunately, she died in 2009 without concluding her revision.
Carlton & Eldredge (2009)
included under the name
B. japonicum
previous records from Hawaii (
Branchiomma nigromaculata
of
Bailey-Brock & Hartman (1987)
,
Sabella havaica
and
Branchiomma cingulata
of
Hartman (1966)
and many others studies). However, these attributions were based on a personal communication that Phyllis Knight-Jones had with Carlton & Eldredge in 2000, but not on the examination of specimens.
Branchiomma cingulatum
has uncini with two rows of teeth above the crest (
Fitzhugh 2002:
Fig. 2
B
) and stylodes are digitiform, proximal stylodes with length same as radial width and more distal stylodes up to two times longer than radial width (
Grube 1870
: plate 14, Fig. 6a–c;
Fitzhugh 2002
:
Fig. 2
A). Although in
B. japonica
the uncini present only one clear tooth above crest and apparently a second short tooth (
McIntosh 1885: plate 30A, Fig. 24
), stylodes are similar to those described for
B. cingulatum
(
McIntosh 1885: plate 39A, Fig. 5
).
Thus, the synonymy of these species remains tentative until a revision based on
type
materials can further clarify the status of species involved. If synonyms are confirmed among these three species,
B. cingulatum
will be the valid name according to Priority Principle of ICZN, having implications about its status as NIS in Hawaii or in other worldwide localities.