Polycirrus broomensis Hartmann-Schröder, 1979

Glasby, Christopher J. & Hutchings, Pat, 2014, Revision of the taxonomy of Polycirrus Grube, 1850 (Annelida: Terebellida: Polycirridae), Zootaxa 3877 (1), pp. 1-117 : 31

Polycirrus broomensis Hartmann-Schröder, 1979

Fig. 12a–f

Polycirrus broomensis Hartmann-Schröder, 1979: 148–149 , figs 352–354.—Hutchings & Glasby, 1996: 336, fig. 7a–c. Polycirrus boholensis .— Augener, 1914: 102.— Not Grube, 1878.

Type locality. Broome , Western Australia .

Material examined. HOLOTYPE: HZM P15532 . Australia, Western Australia, Broome , 17˚57.04′ S, 122˚14.39′ E, sand flats in front of town, with ripple marks and plant debris from nearby Avicennia mangroves, intertidal, coll. 28.ix.1975.

Other material examined. Australia, Western Australia, Shark Bay, Freycinet Estuary 25˚33.04’S 113˚59.09”E, 2 specimens, HZM V8270 . South West Expedition 1905, 6.xi.1905, 7– 11 m, identified by Augener (1914) .

Description. Holotype well preserved with body wall slightly damaged and chaetae mainly intact, yellowpinkish in colour, 30 mm long and 1.5 mm wide excluding buccal tentacles, incomplete with about 34 segments. Sex unknown.

Dorsum anteriorly smooth. Venter anteriorly with mid-ventral groove and poorly defined ventro-lateral pads; pads deeply incised and corrugated. Mid-ventral groove from segment 4.

Buccal tentacles numerous, of two types: (1) cylindrical, thickened distally, distinctly grooved and (2) cylindrical, uniformly thin, weakly grooved; both types arising at junction between prostomium and upper lip. Prostomial ridge distinctly curved, not extending laterally. Upper lip trefoiled, small wing-like lobes laterally, margin of medial lobe convoluted; oral surface glandular, ciliated, with grooves leading to mouth. Inner lower lip circular, weakly ridged; outer region flat, shield-like, subtriangular and pointing toward mouth, tessellated, extending posteriorly to segment 3. Achaetous segments visible dorsally but obscured by expanded outer lower lip ventrally ( Fig. 12a).

Notochaetigerous segments 12, extending to segment 14. Notopodia more-or-less rectangular, prechaetal lobe low, postchaetal lobe digitiform with glandular tips, longer than prechaetal ( Fig. 12b). Notochaetae within a chaetiger consisting of two types (chaetigers 4, 10 examined), hirsute, uniformly tapered, posteriorly same form as those anteriorly; secondary notochaetae in all chaetigers pinnate ( Fig. 12c–d). Neurochaetae beginning on segment 14. Neuropodial tori erect pinnules, similar along body. Uncini with short neck and straight to convex base (Type 1), teeth above main fang arranged in single vertical series (MF:1:1) subrostral process present as low, angular protuberance ( Fig. 12e–f).

Nephridial papillae present, cylindrical. Pre-gular membrane nephridial papillae absent. Post-gular membrane nephridial papillae present, extending from segment 5 to 11; situated at base of notopodia. Pygidium simple compact rosette.

Comments. Material identified by Augener (1914) as Polycirrus boholensis from Shark Bay, Western Australia, has been re-examined, and is herein referred to P. broomensis . This material consists of two complete specimens, one about 50 mm long and 3.5 mm wide for about 150 segments, the specimen is coiled, and the other 60 mm long and 3 mm wide for about 110 segments. The pygidium is a compact rosette and the posterior segments are extremely short and compact.