Chloeia gesae, Salazar-Vallejo, 2023

Salazar-Vallejo, Sergio I., 2023, Revision of Chloeia Savigny in Lamarck, 1818 (Annelida, Amphinomidae), Zootaxa 5238 (1), pp. 1-134 : 60-62

Chloeia gesae sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:FD6C0A4E-4602-4B34-90EF-D4FC45687D91

Fig. 27

Chloeia viridis: Hartmann-Schr ̂der 1977: 66; Hartmann-Schr̂der 1979: 67–68; Hartmann-Schr̂der 1982: 2 (non Schmarda, 1861).

Chloeia candida: Alós & Núñez 2012: 53–54 , Fig. 17 (non Kinberg, 1857).

Type material. Northeastern Atlantic. Holotype ( ZMH P30428 ), and four paratypes ( ZMH P30429 ), off Portugal, FS Meteor, Sta. 11 (37°41.5´N, 09°11.9´W), 500 m, 20 Jan. 1967, H. Thiel, coll.

Additional material. Northeastern Atlantic. Six specimens ( ZMH P17294 ), off Morocco, FS Meteor, Sta. 82b (31°35.0´N, 10°10.5´W), 360–375 m, 19 Jun. 1967, H. Thiel, coll. (complete, pinkish, some stiff others soft, some with white irregular spots; three bent ventrally, variably damaged, most notochaetae and cirri lost; three with pharynx partially exposed; median antenna 4/5 as long, or as long as caruncle; branchiae from chaetiger 4; one specimen with complete ventral cirri in chaetiger 2, 3× longer than adjacent ones; anal cirri 4–8× longer than wide; body 35–61 mm long, 8–10 mm wide, 30–34 chaetigers). One specimen ( ZMH P17296 ), off Portugal, FS Meteor, Sta. 90a (37°22.8´N, 09°00.7´W), 150–170 m, 22 Jun. 1967, H. Thiel, coll. (complete, bent ventrally, most cirri and notochaetae lost, chaetae soft; middorsal area pale, parapodia brownish, interramal areas darker, reddish; venter brownish along median and posterior regions, midventral band pale; body 45 mm long, 10 mm wide, 30 chaetigers). Four specimens ( ZMH P13713 ), off Morocco, FS Meteor, Sta. 25 (33°13.6´N, 09°15.2´W), 500 m, 30–31 Ene. 1967, H. Thiel, coll. (juveniles, pinkish; variably damaged, most notochaetae and cirri lost; eyes minute, anterior ones 2× larger than posterior ones; branchiae from chaetiger 4; body 17–19 mm long, 5 mm wide, 29–30 chaetigers). One specimen ( ZMH P17295 ), Josephine Bank, FS Meteor, Sta. 132 (36°40.2´N, 14°17.5´W), 235–240 m, 4 Jul. 1967, H. Thiel, coll. (complete, colorless, many notochaetae broken; cirri lost; two median parapodia previously removed; body 14 mm long, 5.5 mm wide, 27 chaetigers). Six specimens ( ZMH P17380 ), off Portugal, FS Meteor, Sta. 90d (37°21.5´N, 09°12.5´W), 320–385 m, 22 Jun. 1967, H. Thiel, coll. (complete, pinkish, bent ventrally, three with pharynx partially exposed; median antenna 4/5 as long as caruncle; eyes faded off, at least posterior ones; branchiae from chaetiger 4; anal cirri 3–8× longer than wide; body 38–46 mm long, 9–12 mm wide, 30–31 chaetigers). Two specimens ( ZMH P17704 ), off Morocco, FS Meteor, Sta. 122, KD 173 (33º17.2´N, 08º34.5´W), 65 m, 10 Mar. 1975, H. Thiel, coll. (pinkish, slightly damaged, some cirri lost; slightly dried-out, bent ventrally, one with pharynx partially exposed; posterior eyes faded off; median antenna as long as caruncle; branchiae from chaetiger 4; ventral cirri as long as two subsequent chaetigers; body 28–29 mm long, 7–8 mm wide, 31–32 chaetigers). Eight specimens ( ZMH P17707 ), off Western Sahara, FS Meteor, Sta. 96, ES 145 (25º30.2´N, 16º00.7´W), 409-417 m, 23 Feb. 1975, H. Thiel, coll. (juveniles, pinkish, 7 bent ventrally, one with pharynx slightly exposed; slightly damaged, notochaetae and cirri lost; some with anterior eyes or all eyes faded off; median antenna about as long as caruncle; caruncle reach chaetiger 4–6; branchiae from chaetiger 4; body 18–24 mm long, 4.5–5.8 mm wide, 29–30 chaetigers). Eight specimens ( ZMH P17708 ), off Western Sahara, FS Meteor, Sta. 96, ES 145 (25º25.7´N, 15º56.8´W), 212-217 m, 22 Feb. 1975, H. Thiel, coll. (juveniles, almost colorless; most cirri lost; eyes faded off in most specimens, others with minute eyes, anterior ones 2 larger than posterior ones; bipinnate branchiae from chaetiger 4; body 13–25 mm long, 3.0– 5.5 mm wide, 24–30 chaetigers) .

Diagnosis. Chloeia with bipinnate branchiae from chaetiger 4, progressively smaller posteriorly, each with 8–9 blunt lateral branches; body tapered posteriorly; dorsum without spots; notochaetae aciculars and harpoon-chaetae without spurs; neurochaetae spurred.

Description. Holotype (ZMH P30428), complete, straight, fusiform, most dorsal and ventral cirri lost ( Fig. 27A ); body 37 mm long, 10 mm wide, 33 chaetigers.

Holotype pinkish, median segments with diffuse transverse banding, grayish anteriorly, darker medially, pinkish posteriorly ( Fig. 27D ); parapodia pale; dorsal cirri and branchiae pale. Chaetae golden to transparent. Venter pinkish, midventral band wide, paler.

Prostomium anteriorly entire, colorless. Eyes reddish, anterior eyes 4× larger than posterior brownish ones ( Fig. 27C ). Median antenna inserted at anterior caruncular margin, ¾ as long as caruncle, 2× longer than lateral antennae. Lateral antennae bases separate from each other, 2× longer than palps. Mouth ventral on chaetiger 2. Pharynx not exposed.

Caruncle pale, trilobed, tapered, tip bent dorsally, reaching chaetiger 4. Median ridge plicate, colorless, with about 12 vertical folds, partially concealing lateral lobes. Lateral lobes narrow, with about 14 vertical folds.

Bipinnate branchiae from chaetiger 4, continued throughout body, parallel along anterior and median segments, convergent along posterior chaetigers; progressively larger to chaetiger 15–16, smaller posteriorly. Median segments with 8–9 lateral blunt branches ( Fig. 27D ).

Parapodia biramous, notopodia with cirriform branchiae along chaetigers 1–3 lost; size relationship to dorsal cirri unknown. Dorsal cirri as long as bipinnate branchiae along median chaetigers, 2× longer in posterior chaetigers. Second ventral cirri with cirrophores 2× longer and wider than adjacent ones, directed dorsally; cirrostyles lost. Other ventral cirri directed ventrolaterally, as long as one subsequent segment.

Chaetae most complete with hoods, rarely eroded. Notochaetae in anterior chaetigers aciculars and furcates, major tines 3× longer than minor ones ( Fig. 27E ). Median chaetigers with two types of notochaetae: aciculars, and harpoon-chaetae with denticles partially dissolved ( Fig. 27G ). Neurochaetae all spurred, major tines 9–11× longer than minor ones in anterior chaetigers ( Fig. 27F ); median chaetigers with thick spurred neurochaetae ( Fig. 27H ), longer tines 15—28× longer than spurs, and capillary neurochaetae.

Posterior region tapered ( Fig. 27I ); pygidium with anus terminal; anal cirri bent ventrally, pale, tapered, 2–3× longer than wide.

Live pigmentation. Unknown; the original description was 10 years after its collection and it was described as pinkish, as currently retained.

Variation. Paratypes ( ZMH P30429 ) complete, pinkish, bent ventrally, two with pharynx partially exposed, one with anterodorsal body wall fracture exposing gut; body 34–42 mm long, 7–10 mm wide, 31–34 chaetigers. Median antenna 4/5 as long as caruncle. Cirriform branchiae retained in two paratypes, in chaetigers 1–3. Bipinnate branchiae from chaetiger 4. Second ventral cirri cirrostyles 2× longer than adjacent ones. Anal cirri bent ventrally, pale, tapered, 4–5× longer than wide. One of the specimens ( ZMH P17296 ) shows a different pigmentation pattern, by having pale middorsal areas, brownish parapodia and interramal areas reddish but its notochaetae are mostly lost, and neurochaetae are soft; it is herein regarded as conspecific after the tapered body shape and branchial development, pending the study of better preserved specimens .

Etymology. The specific epithet is after Dr. Gesa Hartmann-Schr̂der, a distinguished and extremely productive German polychaetologist ( Moore 2022), in recognition of her many publications on polychaete taxonomy, including the series of papers on the Meteor Expeditions along the Atlantic Ocean. The derived name is a noun in the genitive case ( ICZN 1999, Art. 31.1.2).

Remarks. Chloeia gesae sp. n. is described with specimens from several localities along the Northeastern Atlantic; the species is included in the group tumida because it has bipinnate branchiae from chaetiger 4, decreasing in size posteriorly, and without dorsal pigmentation pattern. As indicated above, it resembles C. fiegei sp. n., described with specimens from a single locality in the Red Sea; these two species have a fusiform body, and their bipinnate branchiae have 8–9 lateral branches. The main differences between these species are the pigmentation of the anterior prostomial area and dorsum, the tips of branchial branches, and type of harpoon chaetae. Thus, C. gesae has a pale anterior prostomial area, pinkish body wall, blunt branchial tips, and harpoon chaetae without tines. On the contrary, C. fiegei has a blackish anterior prostomial area, whitish body wall, tapered branchial branches, and harpoon chaetae have distinctive smooth tines.

One specimen (ZMH P17296) has been included with hesitation because it has some pigmented areas along body, but most notochaetae and cephalic and parapodial cirri are lost. The specimen is from shallower water than most other specimens, but its recognition as a different species must rely on better preserved specimens.

The record of C. candida by Alós & Núñez (2012) is after Hartmann-Schr̂der (1977: 66) for Portugal. However, dorsal banding was not indicated by Hartmann-Schr̂der (1977), which would confirm its affinity with other West African, shallow-water records of C. viridis .

Distribution. Portugal to off Northwestern Africa, in sediments at 150–500 m water depth.

Figures

FIGURE 17. Chloeia fauveli sp. n., holotype (MNHN IA-TYPE 2049).A.Anterior region, dorsal view. B. Anterior end, dorsal view, after Methyl green staining. C. Same, right lateral view. C. Chaetigers 12-15, dorsal view, after Methyl Green staining. E. Chaetiger 3, furcate and harpoon notochaetae (inset: tip of harpoon chaetae). F. Same, tips of neurochaetae. G. Chaetiger 14, harpoon notochaetae (inset: tip of harpoon chaetae). H. Same, tips of neurochaetae. Scale bars: A, 2.2 mm; B, 0.7 mm; C. 0.9 mm; D, 1.8 mm; E, 250 μm; F, H, 80 μm; G, 300 μm; I, 2.o mm.

FIGURE 27. Chloeia gesae sp. n. A. Holotype (ZMH P30428), dorsal view. B.Anterior region, dorsal view. C. Paratype (ZMH P30429), anterior end, right lateral view. D. Holotype, chaetigers 14-16, dorsal view. E. Paratype, chaetiger 3, notochaetae. F. Same, chaetiger 4, neurochaetal tips. G. Chaetiger 16, notochaetal tips. H. Same, neurochaetal tips. I. Holotype, posterior region, dorsal view. Scale bars: A, 4.5 mm; B, 0.3 mm; C, D, 1.2 mm; E, 150 μm; F, 20 μm; G, 120 μm; H, 40 μm; I, 2 mm.