Armandia bipapillata Hartmann-Schröder, 1974

Parapar, Julio, Al-Kandari, Manal & Moreira, Juan, 2025, The genus Armandia Filippi, 1861 (Annelida, Opheliidae) on the coast of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, Zootaxa 5728 (1), pp. 107-143 : 109-113

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5728.1.4
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:5F864A97-59BA-4972-92BD-137555D1FD27
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B70F11-FFD1-FFCD-FF38-EE9975FCFEC5
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Armandia bipapillata Hartmann-Schröder, 1974
status

Treatment

Armandia bipapillata Hartmann-Schröder, 1974 View in CoL

Figures 1–6 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 View FIGURE 4 View FIGURE 5 View FIGURE 6 , 12 View FIGURE 12 ; Table 1

Armandia bipapillata Hartmann-Schröder, 1974: 185 View in CoL , pl. 19 figs 177-178.

Armandia bipapillata Hartmann-Schröder View in CoL – Al-Hakim & Glasby 2004: 38.— Morton & Bamber 2008: 974.— Muir & Bamber 2008: 809 (as A. cf. bipapillata View in CoL ).

Material examined. Thirty-two specimens from five samples collected in two localities of south Kuwait ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 , Tab. 1) .

Diagnosis. Parapodial prechaetal lobe rounded throughout, ventral lobe low; no dorsal cirrus*. Prechaetal lobe symmetrical, with a notch giving distal border a bilobed appearance. Lateral eyespots anterior to parapodia on 12 chaetigers ( CH 7– CH 18)*. Branchiae from CH 2 to last chaetiger. Anal tube short; posterior and ventral margins free, tube opening provided with 7–8 pairs of short marginal papillae, up to five pairs of basal papillae and unpaired anal cirrus.

(*) But see Description and Remarks

Description. Complete specimens ranging from 5.0–14.0 mm in length and 0.5–1.0 mm in width for 32(34) chaetigers. Body slender, slightly tapering towards anterior end ( Figs 2A View FIGURE 2 , 4A–E View FIGURE 4 ) and truncated posterior end ( Figs 3A, C–D View FIGURE 3 , 6 View FIGURE 6 ). Prostomium conical, palpode long and clavate ( Figs 2A View FIGURE 2 , 4A–E View FIGURE 4 ). A pair of small red lateral eyes deeply embedded in prostomium ( Fig. 2A View FIGURE 2 ). One pair of ring-shaped nuchal organs ( Figs 2A View FIGURE 2 , 4A, C–F View FIGURE 4 ); pharynx eversible, oral tentacles not seen. Parapodia biramous, with prechaetal lobe and ventral lobe ( Figs 2B–I View FIGURE 2 , 5B–F View FIGURE 5 ); short dorsal cirrus from CH 4 to last chaetiger ( Figs 2E–I View FIGURE 2 , 5C–F View FIGURE 5 ). Prechaetal lobe symmetrical, with a small notch giving distal border a bilobed appearance in anterior chaetigers ( Figs 2B–E View FIGURE 2 , 5B, D View FIGURE 5 ). Lateral eyespots anterior to parapodia on 11 chaetigers: CH 6– CH 16 (longest specimen with lateral eyespots in CH 6– CH 20); orange, horizontally oval, those of CH 6 and CH 16 slightly smaller than others. Simple, very long capillary chaetae in two bundles; notochaetae generally longer than neurochaetae ( Figs 2B View FIGURE 2 , 5A View FIGURE 5 ). Ventral groove deep, well defined along all body ( Figs 3A–C View FIGURE 3 , 4A View FIGURE 4 , 5A View FIGURE 5 , 6A–C View FIGURE 6 ). Branchiae present from CH 2 ( Figs 2A, C View FIGURE 2 , 4F View FIGURE 4 ) to last body chaetiger ( Fig. 6B View FIGURE 6 ), long but not reaching dorsal midline in anterior segments ( Fig. 5A View FIGURE 5 ), not decreasing in length in posterior chaetigers but last one the smallest ( Figs 3B View FIGURE 3 , 6B View FIGURE 6 ) and often missing ( Figs 3A, C View FIGURE 3 , 6A, C View FIGURE 6 ). Anal tube maximum dorsal length similar to width at base; as long as last 3–4 chaetigers ( Figs 3 View FIGURE 3 , 6 View FIGURE 6 ); opened terminally and ventrally with a ventral incision ( Figs 3B View FIGURE 3 , 6C–D, F View FIGURE 6 ) and slightly laterally compressed ( Figs 3B View FIGURE 3 , 6C View FIGURE 6 ). Posterior border provided with 3–4 pairs of short marginal papillae about as long as anal tube ( Fig. 6D View FIGURE 6 ), slightly shorter ( Figs 3A View FIGURE 3 , 6E View FIGURE 6 ) or longer ( Fig. 6A, C View FIGURE 6 ), sometimes with bifid distal end (pmpr3 and pmpl 3 in Fig. 3C View FIGURE 3 ). Internal unpaired smooth anal cirrus, about twice as long as anal tube length ( Figs 3B, D View FIGURE 3 , 6A View FIGURE 6 ) and two ( Figs 3B View FIGURE 3 , 6C–F View FIGURE 6 ) or three pairs ( Figs 3 View FIGURE 3 , 6A–B View FIGURE 6 ) of basal papillae. Brown pigment spots in lower lateral half in one specimen ( Fig. 3A View FIGURE 3 ).

Variation. Specimens examined showed variation in the numbers of marginal and basal paired anal papillae; the length of marginal papillae and the presence of branchiae in the last chaetiger also varied across specimens likely due to the state of preservation. On the contrary, number of chaetigers, position of lateral parapodial eyespots and parapodial shape were similar among specimens.

Distribution / Habitat. Armandia bipapillata was originally described by Hartmann-Schröder (1974) from Mozambique (Southwest Indian Ocean ) and later reported in littoral marine caves of Hong Kong ( Morton & Bamber 2008; Muir & Bamber 2008) and in intertidal sandy-mud in Natuna Islands (South China Sea; Al-Hakim & Glasby 2004); these reports were later included in checklists by Glasby et al. (2016) and Pamungkas &Glasby (2019) ( Fig.12 View FIGURE 12 ).

Specimens here studied have been collected in two localities of the southern coast of Kuwait ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ) associated with intertidal sand-rock substratum ( Tab. 1).

Remarks. The original description of A. bibapillata reports three “brain eyes” (two lateral and one dorsal; cfr. Hartmann-Schröder 1974: pl. 19-fig. 177) and states that branchiae are long, well surpassing dorsal midline in anterior body half (“ Sie sind relativ lang und berühren sich im Vorderkorpen in der dorsalen Mediane ”) and present to the end of body; lateral eyespots are present between CH 7 and CH 18 (small specimens: CH 17). However, in Kuwait specimens, the dorsal eye was not observed, branchiae seem shorter and all specimens but the longest bear lateral eyespots from CH 6 to CH 16; parapodial lobes are very short and rounded (similar to those described by Hartmann-Schröder 1974), but SEM micrographs and further light microscope examination showed the presence of one small dorsal cirrus per parapodium in most chaetigers, that might have been overlooked in previous work. Regarding the anal tube, the original description states that it is not much longer than wide ( Hartmann-Schröder 1974: pl. 19-fig. 178); Kuwait specimens have either an almost square-shaped anal tube or one that is slightly longer than wide. Paired anal papillae are more numerous in the type series: 7–8 pairs of marginal and five pairs of basal papillae against 3–4 and 2–3, respectively, in Kuwait specimens.

Al-Hakim & Glasby (2004) reported one specimen from Natuna Islands (South China Sea) with 32 chaetigers and branchiae from CH 2 to the last chaetiger; the anal tube is described as “not elongated” and provided with “a pair of brown ventral pigment patches”. Similar pigmentation is present in one Kuwait specimen laterally in the distal half of the anal tube ( Fig. 3A View FIGURE 3 ). The specimens described by Muir & Bamber (2008) do not show eyes and bear 30–31 chaetigers; ranges of chaetigers with branchiae ( CH 2 to last chaetiger) and lateral eyespots ( CH 7– CH 18) and anal papillae (marginal: 3 pairs, basal: 4 pairs) are similar to those found in Kuwait specimens.

Armandia bipapillata is well characterised against the other species of the genus by the short anal tube and the presence of two types of anal papillae. The differences observed among specimens from different areas might be due to: 1) the original description was based on a low number of specimens (six), and 2) the size of specimens, state of preservation and difficulties in observation of some characters, such as the small parapodial dorsal cirrus. In fact, the presence of the unpaired cirrus in Kuwait specimens was initially overlooked during previous light microscope examinations and then observed in SEM micrographs .