Spirobranchus richardsmithi Pillai, 2009

Kupriyanova, Elena K., Sun, Yanan, Ten Hove, Harry A., Wong, Eunice & Rouse, Greg W., 2015, Serpulidae (Annelida) of Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, Zootaxa 4019 (1), pp. 275-353 : 337

Spirobranchus richardsmithi Pillai, 2009

( Fig. 28 C)

Spirobranchus richardsmithi Pillai, 2009: 154 –158, figs 41A–N, 42A–H, 43A–K [Kimberley, WA].

Spirobranchus gardineri not Pixell, 1913.— Smith 1985: 43–47, fig. 3I –L [Lizard Island, Australia; partim, variant types 1 and 2 only]; Fiege & ten Hove 1999: 362–363 [in part; discussion and mention of 2 taxa under this name; the material from Hainan Island belongs to Sp. richardsmithi ]; Fiege & Sun 1999: 126, fig. 15A, B [Hainan Island, China].

Material examined. AM W.41735, Yonge Reef, 14°35'S, 145°37'E, in Millepora sp., coll. R. Smith, Nov 1985; AM W.41740, Yonge Reef, back reef, 14°36'S, 145°37'E, on Sp. gardineri , coll. R. Smith, 7 Nov 1985; AM W.41743, same, in Porites sp., coll. R. Smith, Nov 1985; AM W.41744, same, in Millepora , coll. R. Smith, Nov 1985; AM W.41745, same, in Millepora , coll. R. Smith, Nov 1985; AM W.41750, same, coll. R. Smith, 6 Nov 1985; AM W.41803, same, in Millepora , coll. R. Smith, Nov 1985; AM W.41807, same, in Millepora , coll. R. Smith, Nov 1985; AM W.41828, same, in Millepora , coll. R. Smith, Nov 1985; AM W.41914 (many), same, coll. R. Smith, Nov 1985; AM W.41918, same in Millepora , coll. R. Smith, Nov 1985; AM W.41956 (2), same, in Porites lichen , coll. R. Smith, Nov 1985; AM W.45427, MI QLD 2447; SAM E3610 (as S. gardineri ), Ser92, stn.G231, Coconut Beach, 14°41'S, 145°28'E, scuba, coll. G. Rouse & E. Kupriyanova, 26 Oct 2005; ZMA V.Pol. 4829 (3), stn.18, lagoon near east entrance, sheltered side of reef, near sandy bottom, 2–20 m, coll. H. ten Hove, 3 Mar 1986; ZMA V.Pol. 4830 (2, det HtH 1986 as Sp. gardineri -complex), stn.17, Palfrey Island, south of lighthouse, 14°40'S, 145°28'E, coral heads on sandy bottom, 7 m, coll. H. ten Hove, P. Hutchings & M. Reid, 2 Mar 1986.

Diagnosis. Opercular plate bearing a column ending in a pair of latero-dorsal spines with tips almost curving upright and a bifid medio-ventral spine with tips recurving towards opercular plate. Latero-dorsal spines each bear three short spinules, one single located latero-ventrally and clearly recurving towards opercular plate, the other pair located sub-terminally, not recurving. Peduncle with wide distal wings with entire edge (no processes).

Remarks. See remarks under Sp. gardineri .

Distribution. Widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific.

Figures

FIGURE 28. A. Spirobranchus gardineri, live specimen in situ, AM W. 45089; B. Opercula of fixed specimens of Sp. gardineri AM W. 41832 (middle) & AM W. 41756 (left, right); C. Opercula of fixed specimens of Sp. richardsmithi, AM W. 41955. Photo: A—A. Semenov, B, C—E. Wong. Scale bars: A = 3 mm, B – C = 1 mm.