Marphysa mullawa Hutchings & Karageorgopolous, 2003

Glasby, Christopher J. & Hutchings, Pat A., 2010, 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, Zootaxa 2352, pp. 29-45 : 42

Marphysa mullawa Hutchings & Karageorgopolous, 2003

Marphysa mullawa Hutchings & Karageorgopolous, 2003: 90 −93, figs 2a −f; 3, b, d; 4b, d (note corrected figure references—figures and captions in original are jumbled).

Material examined. PARATYPES: Australia, Queensland, Moreton Bay, Fisherman's Island, mudflat, 27° 15' S, 153° 15' E, coll. Sep. 1996, 1 (AM W27394), 1(AM W27395). NON-TYPES: Australia, Queensland, Cairns marina, 16.9˚ S 145.8 ˚E, scraping off wharf pile, 3m, coll. CRC Reef Research Limited, 19 Nov. 2001, 1(AM W30786 ), 10 m sled sample, coll. CRC Reef Research Limited, 16 Nov. 2001, 1(AM W35251), Weipa, 12˚40.34’S 141˚52.12’E, scaping of pylon in port, 0.5 m, coll. CRC Reef Research Limited, Oct. 1999, 1 (AM W35250), Northern Territory, Darwin Harbour, Creek H, CH 9, mudflat, coll. R. Hanley, 13 Mar. 1986, 1( NTM W3897), 1( NTM W3898); Cullen Bay marina, Stn P3-3 NTDCBM, 12˚ 27.16’S 130˚ 49.30’E, coll. CSIRO CRIMP survey team, 14 Aug. 1998, 1( NTM W17768); Leaders Creek, 12˚10.766’S 131˚06.607”E, coll. C. Glasby & T. Bakken, 21 Sept. 2000, 8( NTM W23047). Western Australia, Kimberley region, coll. R.J. Hanely, 1995, RH 95/5, 1( NTM W23046).

Remarks. The present material closely resembles the type material of M. mullawa , except subacicular hooks occur from chaetigers 26−36, which is just outside the range of 37−45 given by Hutchings & Karageorgopolous (2003) for the type material. However, the early appearance of the hooks is accountable by the smaller size of the present specimens (2.8−3.5 mm wide). As none of the specimens are posteriorly complete we were unable to determine the types of pectinate chaetae in far posterior chaetigers; however, in the material at hand, pectinate chaetae in mid-posterior chaetigers had about 22 teeth—the coarse-tooth types were not observed. The most complete specimen with about 250 chaetigers lacks entirely any limbate capillaries in the subacicular bundle.

Marphysa mullawa belongs to the Sanguinea-group of species, which lack limbate capillaries in the subacicular bundle. Apart from M. sanguinea the group also includes M. orientalis Treadwell, 1936 from Amoy, China and M. elityeni Lewis & Karageorgopolous, 2008 from South Africa. Another species that may belong to this group is M. tamurai Okuda, 1934 , but information on the presence or absence of limbate capillaries in this species is lacking.

Habitat. Intertidal to 10 m; muddy sediments and amongst invertebrate fouling communities in protected coastal embayments including harbours and estuaries.

Distribution. Northern Australia from Kimberley, Western Australia in the west to Moreton Bay, Queensland in the east.