Levinsenia demiri, Çinar & Dagli & Açik, 2011

Çinar, Melih Ertan, Dagli, Ertan & Açik, Sermin, 2011, Annelids (Polychaeta and Oligochaeta) from the Sea of Marmara, with descriptions of five new species, Journal of Natural History 45 (33 - 34), pp. 2105-2143 : 2124-2128

Levinsenia demiri sp. nov.

( Figures 5 , 6 )

Material examined

Holotype. ESFM – POL / 2008–79 , 9 September 2008, Sea of Marmara , Erdek, E 5, 40 ◦ 18 ′ 57 ′′ N, 27 ◦ 45 ′ 51 ′′ E, 32 m, mud.

Paratypes. ESFM – POL / 2008–80 , 24 specimens, 9 September 2008, Sea of Marmara , Erdek, E 5, 40 ◦ 18 ′ 57 ′′ N, 27 ◦ 45 ′ 51 ′′ E, 32 m, mud ; ESFM – POL / 2008–81 , 11 specimens, 9 September 2008, Sea of Marmara , Erdek, E 6, 40 ◦ 18 ′ 49 ′′ N, 27 ◦ 46 ′ 04 ′′ E, 27 m, sandy mud ; ESFM – POL / 2008–82 , 13 specimens, 9 September 2008, Sea of Marmara , Erdek, E 4, 40 ◦ 19 ′ 01 ′′ N, 27 ◦ 46 ′ 03 ′′ E, 34 m, mud ; ESFM – POL / 2010–54 , one specimen, 15 April 2010, Sea of Marmara , G6, 40 ◦ 30 ′ 33 ′′ N, 26 ◦ 58 ′ 02 ′′ E, 51 m, sandy mud ; ESFM – POL / 2010–55 , one specimen, 15 April 2010, Sea of Marmara , G12, 40 ◦ 26 ′ 20 ′′ N, 27 ◦ 05 ′ 05 ′′ E, 15 m, sandy mud .

Additional material examined

Aegean Sea: ESFM – POL / 2004–856 , 21 specimens, 1 December 2004, Ildırı Bay , station 2, 38 ◦ 23 ′ 17 ′′ N, 26 ◦ 27 ′ 17 ′′ E, 60 m, mud ; ESFM – POL / 2009–42 , one specimen, 24 February 2009, İzmir Bay , station 4, 38 ◦ 41 ′ 00 ′′ N, 26 ◦ 42 ′ 05 ′′ E, 59 m, mud ; ESFM – POL / 2009–297 , 10 specimens, 29 July 2009, İzmir Bay , station 6, 38 ◦ 38 ′ 18 ′′ N, 26 ◦ 39 ′ 08 ′′ E, 68 m, mud ; ESFM – POL / 2009–298 , 15 specimens, 24 February 2009, İzmir Bay , station 20, 38 ◦ 26 ′ 00 ′′ N, 26 ◦ 51 ′ 08 ′′ E, 50 m, mud ; ESFM – POL / 2009–299 , five specimens, 13 April 2009, İzmir Bay , station 17, 38 ◦ 25 ′ 95 ′′ N, 26 ◦ 39 ′ 13 ′′ E, 28 m, sandy mud .

Levantine Sea: ESFM – POL / 2005–124 , two specimens, 8 September 2005, İskenderun Bay , station D2, 36 ◦ 37 ′ 35 ′′ N, 36 ◦ 08 ′ 45 ′′ E, 50 m, mud ; ESFM – POL / 2005–249 , five specimens, 9 September 2005, İskenderun Bay , station D7, 36 ◦ 51 ′ 14 ′′ N, 35 ◦ 57 ′ 8 ′′ E, 34 m, mud ; ESFM – POL / 2005–259 , four specimens, 9 September 2005, İskenderun Bay , station G2, 36 ◦ 43 ′ 19 ′′ N, 36 ◦ 09 ′ 30 ′′ E, 50 m, mud ; ESFM – POL / 2005–324 , one specimen, 8 September 2005, İskenderun Bay , station D3, 36 ◦ 36 ′ 38 ′′ N, 36 ◦ 10 ′ 51 ′′ E, 25 m, mud ; ESFM – POL / 2005–655 , 10 specimens, 8 September 2005, İskenderun Bay , station D1, 36 ◦ 38 ′ 11 ′′ N, 36 ◦ 06 ′ 48 ′′ E, 72 m, mud ; ESFM – POL / 2005–688 , 10 specimens, 10 September 2005, İskenderun Bay , station D19, 36 ◦ 21 ′ 15 ′′ N, 35 ◦ 44 ′ 27 ′′ E, 75 m, muddy sand ; ESFM – POL / 2005–836 , two specimens, 17 September 2005, Mersin Bay , station D23, 36 ◦ 40 ′ 50 ′′ N, 34 ◦ 35 ′ 00 ′′ E, 50 m, mud ; ESFM – POL / 2005–912 , four specimens, 23 September 2005, Anamur , station D33, 36 ◦ 02 ′ 31 ′′ N, 32 ◦ 54 ′ 54 ′′ E, 200 m, mud ; ESFM – POL / 2005–1544 , three specimens, 6 October 2005, Fethiye Bay , station G28, 36 ◦ 37 ′ 48 ′′ N, 29 ◦ 06 ′ 30 ′′ E, 10 m, mud ; ESFM – POL / 2005–1621 , nine specimens, 27 September 2005, Antalya Bay , station G12, 36 ◦ 50 ′ 17 ′′ N, 30 ◦ 36 ′ 31 ′′ E, 10 m, mud ; ESFM – POL / 2005–1710 , one specimen, 23 September 2005, Anamur , station D32, 36 ◦ 02 ′ 02 ′′ N, 32 ◦ 53 ′ 59 ′′ E, 200 m, mud ; ESFM – POL / 2005–1874 , 24 specimens, 6 October 2005, Fethiye Bay , station G32, 36 ◦ 38 ′ 42 ′′ N, 29 ◦ 03 ′ 18 ′′ E, 100 m, mud ; ESFM – POL / 2005–2168 , six specimens, 6 October 2005, Fethiye Bay , station G33, 36 ◦ 38 ′ 28 ′′ N, 29 ◦ 02 ′ 37 ′′ E, 200 m, mud .

Comparative material examined

Levinsenia kantauriensis : Paratype, INSUB POL 331 , five specimens , Bay of Biscay , eastern Atlantic, 495 m.

Description

Holotype complete, 8.93 mm long, 0.19 mm wide, with 67 chaetigers. Colour in alcohol opaque white. Body long, slender, wider anteriorly, filiform from midbody, gradually tapering to posterior end. Anterior segments short, much wider than long (ca. three times) ( Figure 5A ). Prostomium conical, with a truncated anterior margin, longer than wide (length: 105 µm, width: 90 µm), ending in a cylindrical sensory organ. Pair of nuchal organs as deep nuchal slits ( Figure 5A ). Posterior buccal lip with five longitudinal folds, extending to end of chaetiger 1 ( Figure 5B ). Eyes absent.

First five notopodial postchaetal lobes (prebranchial) short, rounded, ca. 12.5 µm long ( Figure 6A ); from chaetiger 6 to 10 (branchial region) longer, digitiform, ca. 12.5–27.5 µm long ( Figure 6B ); in postbranchial region longer and thinner than those in branchial region; ca. 37.5 µm on middle part of body; shorter, more thinner, fingerlike on posterior chaetigers of the body, ca. 27.5 µm ( Figure 6D ). Neuropodial postchaetal lobes absent ( Figure 6A,D ). Branchiae starting from chaetiger 6, five pairs, ca. 100 µm long, 25 µm wide (l / w mostly between 3.6 and 5); cirriform, densely ciliated, except for last pair (ciliated on paratypes); cilia emerging along a groove (slightly articulated) on ventral side of branchiae ( Figure 6B ); last pair shortest and narrowest, ca. 52.5 µm long ( Figure 6A ). Chaetigers 1–13 with only capillary chaetae; notopodium of chaetiger 2 with ten capillary chaetae (ca. 187.5 µm long), neuropodium of chaetiger 2 with nine capillary chaetae (ca. 195 µm long). Notopodium of chaetiger 13 with seven or eight capillary chaetae (ca. 185 µm long), neuropodium of chaetiger 13 with six or seven capillary chaetae (ca. 192.5 µm long). Modified neurochaeta starting from chaetiger 14 (15 in paratypes) to end of body, up to four to six per fascicle, arranged in a single row, strongly curved, unidentate, with thin hood on convex side, not extending to chaetal tip; with expanded shaft; with two to four accompanying fine capillary chaetae ( Figure 6C,D ). Notopodium of chaetiger 20 with five capillary chaetae (ca. 195 µm long), neuropodium of chaetiger 20 with four capillary chaetae (ca. 198 µm long) and three modified chaetae (17.5 µm long; length from node to tip). Notopodium of chaetiger 43 with five capillary chaetae (ca. 208 µm long), neuropodium of chaetiger 43 with two capillary chaetae (ca. 205 µm long) and four modified chaetae (20 µm long); Notopodium of chaetiger 55 with four capillary chaetae (ca. 213 µm long), neuropodium of chaetiger 55 with three capillary chaetae (ca. 215 µm long) and four modified chaetae (22.5 µm long). Notopodium of chaetiger 65 with three capillary chaetae (ca. 225 µm long), neuropodium of chaetiger 65 with two capillary chaetae (ca. 230 µm long) and five modified chaetae (22.5 µm long). Pygidium with a rectangular mid-dorsal lobe (ca. 47.5 µm long, 40 µm wide) and two long ventro-lateral cirri (ca. 57.5 µm long, 7.5 µm wide) ( Figure 5C ).

Remarks

Levinsenia demiri sp. nov. is mainly characterized by having five pairs of branchiae between chaetigers 6 and 10. The same branchia number and morphology were previously reported in Levinsenia kantauriensis Aguirrezabalaga and Gil, 2009 , which was originally described from the northeast Atlantic (Bay of Biscay) between depths of 492 and 1113 m ( Aguirrezabalaga and Gil 2009). Levinsenia demiri is closely related to L. kantauriensis in the number of the prebranchial and branchial chaetigers, the morphology of body, branchiae, neuropodial postchaetal lobes and capillary chaetae, and the shape of prebranchial and branchial postchaetal lobes. However, Levinsenia demiri differs from it with respect to some important characters; the shape of the posterior buccal lip [with five longitudinal folds, extending to the end of chaetiger 1 in L. demiri , vs. with six or seven longitudinal folds, extending to chaetiger 2 in L. kantauriensis ]; the shape of the postbranchial notopodial lobes (longer than prebranchial and branchial notopodial lobes in L. demiri vs. short and rounded in L. kantauriensis ); the cilia of branchiae (present in L. demiri vs. absent in L. kantauriensis ); the first occurrence of modified neurochaeta (14–15 in L. demiri vs. 12–16 in L. kantauriensis ); the shape of modified chaetae (strongly curved, with thin hood on convex side, not extending to chaetal tip in L. demiri vs. slightly curved, with thickened hood, strongly protruding in L. kantauriensis ). Levinsenia demiri was found at depths ranging from 10 to 200 m on the coast of Turkey, whereas L. kantauriensis was previously reported at depths ranging from 492 to 1113 m in Capbreton Canyon, Bay of Biscay ( Aguirrezabalaga and Gil 2009).

Levinsenia demiri is also similar to L. flava ( Strelzov 1973) , L. gracilis minuta ( Hartmann-Schröder 1965) and L. multibranchiata ( Hartman 1957) in that the number of prebranchial chaetigers is five. However, these species differ considerably from each other in the number of branchiae. Levinsenia flava has three pairs of very short branchiae; L. gracilis minuta has 8–11 pairs of long branchiae and L. multibranchiata has 20–36 pairs of very long branchiae.

Etymology

This species is named in honour of Prof. Dr Muzaffer Demir, who was one of the pioneers of marine biological studies in Turkey.

Distribution

Sea of Marmara and Mediterranean Sea (Levantine and Aegean Seas), between 10 and 200 m depth.

Figures

Figure 5. Levinsenia demiri sp. nov. (A) Anterior end, dorsal view, holotype (ESFM– POL/2008–79); (B) anterior end, ventral view, paratype (ESFM–POL/2008–80); (C) posterior end, dorsal view, holotype. Scale bars: (A) 200 µm, (B) 97 µm, (C) 94 µm.

Figure 6. Levinsenia demiri sp. nov. (A) Right parapodium of chaetiger 3 (prebranchial region), paratype (ESFM–POL/2008–80); (B) right parapodium of chaetiger 9 with branchia (forth branchial segment), paratype; (C) modified neurochaetae, chaetiger 30, holotype (ESFM– POL/2008–79); (D) right parapodium of chaetiger 50 (postbranchial region), paratype (ESFM– POL/2008–80). Scale bars: (A) 50 µm, (B) 55 µm, (C) 27 µm, (D) 59 µm.