Prionospio hermesia, Paterson, Gordon L. J., Neal, Lenka, Altamira, Iris, Soto, Eulogio H., Smith, Craig R., Menot, Lenaick, Billett, David S. M., Cunha, Marina R., Marchais-Laguionie, Claire & Glover, Adrian G., 2016

Paterson, Gordon L. J., Neal, Lenka, Altamira, Iris, Soto, Eulogio H., Smith, Craig R., Menot, Lenaick, Billett, David S. M., Cunha, Marina R., Marchais-Laguionie, Claire & Glover, Adrian G., 2016, New Prionospio and Aurospio Species from the Deep Sea (Annelida: Polychaeta), Zootaxa 4092 (1) : 13-15

Prionospio hermesia sp. nov. Neal & Paterson

( Figures 1 , 2.4, 6, 8f, Table 2 )

Material examined: 9 specimens examined in total.

Holotype: Setúbal canyon, RSS Charles Darwin 179, April–May 2006, St. 56804#6, 38º 09.26 N, 9º. 36.94 W, 3275 m (NHMUK 2015:1041).

Paratypes. Nazaré canyon, RSS Discovery 297, August 2005, St. 15760#1, 39º 30.02 N, 09º 56.17 W, 3465 m, 2 individuals; St. 15762#1, 39º 30.02 N, 09º 56.22 W, 3464 m, 1 individual; St. 15758#2, 39º 34.94 N, 10º 19.00 W, 4332 m, 1 individual.

Nazaré canyon, RSS Charles Darwin 179, April/ May 2006, St. 56851#1, 39º29.99’ N, 9º55.97’ W, 3517m, 2 individuals.

Setúbal canyon, RSS Charles Darwin 179, April/ May 2006, St. 56816#1, 38º09.27’ N, 9.36.94’W, 3275m, 1 individual.

Cascais canyon, RSS Charles Darwin 179, April/ May 2006, St.56821#2, 38º17.97’ N, 9º46.89’ W, 3214m, 1 individual.

Diagnostic features. Two pairs of branchiae; lack of sabre chaetae; hooded hooks bi- or tridentate.

Description. Very small and slender species, holotype incomplete with 53 chaetigers, measuring 5.65 mm long and 0.08 mm wide at chaetiger 1. Colour in alcohol pale yellow. Body narrow and cylindrical, of uniform width throughout. Prostomium oval, anteriorly slightly rounded, prostomial margin entire, prostomial peaks absent, posteriorly elongated into short blunt caruncle, extending to anterior of chaetiger 1 ( Fig. 6 a–b); eyes not observed. Peristomium well developed, ventrally and laterally distinct, dorsally partially fused to chaetiger 1, forming a collar around prostomium, without forming distinct lateral wings.

Branchiae 2 pairs, on chaetigers 2 and 3, both pairs apinnate with surface smooth to slightly wrinkled ( Fig. 6 a,b); first pair longest, very slender, cylindrical, at least twice the length of corresponding notopodial lamellae, inserted laterally to the base of notopodial lamellae, but not connected to it ( Fig 6 a); second pair short, about half the length of corresponding notopodial lamellae and one-third the length of first branchial pair, attached near the base of notopodial lamellae (Fig.2.4b).

Notopodial lamellae on chaetiger 1 not developed; lamellae small, subquadrangular on chaetiger 2; lamellae greatly enlarged on chaetiger 3, subtriangular, the distal tip bent and pointed to the midline of the dorsum (Fig.2.4b), in subsequent chaetigers notopodial lamellae reducing in size, becoming rounded. Dorsal chests from chaetiger 8 ( Fig. 6 c) to approximately chaetiger 25.

Neuropodial lamellae on chaetiger 1 not developed, thereafter well developed if small and rounded on all segments, with the exception of chaetiger 3, on which they are shifted dorsally (Fig. 2.4), enlarged (at least twice the size of neuropodial lamellae on other segments), oar-shaped, sometimes extending from body horizontally.

Capillary chaetae particularly dense in anterior region, arranged in two rows in both noto- and neuropodia, capillaries in anterior row very long capillaries in posterior row shorter, all lightly granulated, limbate. Sabre chaetae absent. Neuropodial hooded hooks present from chaetiger 13 in holotype, from chaetiger 14 in other specimens, often only single hooks present at first but up to seven hooks per fascicle in subsequent chaetigers; primary hood rounded, tightly follows the head of the hooks, secondary hood present and well developed; some hooks bidentate with large main fang and smaller secondary tooth, others appear to be multidentate (at least tridentate) with main fang and at least two smaller teeth above, arranged in a single row. Notopodial hooks present singly from chaetiger 48. Pygidium unknown.

Methyl green pattern: The anterior half of prostomium and peristomium stain strongly, the margins of the notopodial and neuropodial lamellae on chaetigers 4–14 stain less intensely.

Remarks. The distinguishing feature of this species is that it has only two pairs of branchiae. This species has affinities with Prionospio branchilucida sp. nov. and P. kaplani sp. nov. from abyssal plains. Lack of sabre chaetae is unusual, but was encountered in all three species ( P. hermesia sp. nov., P. branchilucida sp. nov., and P. kaplani sp. nov.). Further similarity with Prionospio kaplani sp. nov. is that it also possesses a combination of bidentate and multidentate hooks (1+3 combination), and these hooks also appear to be flattened in SEM images (unlike the chunky, more inflated style of hooks in other Prionospio species). In both species dorsal crests begin on segment 8, but only a single pair of very short branchiae on the second chaetiger was found in P kaplani sp. nov. compared with in P. hermesia sp. nov. Prionospio branchilucida sp. nov. has a prostomium similar to that of P. hermesia sp. nov. and has similar branchiae on the second chaetiger, but at least three pairs of branchiae were confirmed to be present in P. branchilucida sp. nov., hooks appear to be more like the usual shape found in Prionospio in SEM images, and the dorsal crests begin after chaetiger 8.

Etymology. P. hermesia sp. nov. named after the research programme HERMES.

Distribution. P. hermesia sp. nov. has been recorded from the Nazaré, Setúbal and Cascais canyons of the Portuguese margin at depths of 3214–4364 m.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Maps showing location of collecting sites and distribution of species. a. Locations of the collection sites. CCFZ- Clarion—Clipperton Fracture Zone, W = west site, E = east site, A = UK concession area; CR—Crozet Island; CVAP Cap Verde Abyssal Plain; EP—Equatorial Pacific (EqPac); MAP—Madeira Abyssal Plain; PAP—Porcupine Abyssal Plain; PC— Portuguese Canyons. b. Distribution of Prionospio amarsupiata sp. nov (blue squares), Aurospio abranchiata sp. nov (orange triangles); c. Distrubutions of Prionospio branchilucida sp nov (purple stars), P. vallensis sp. nov (blue triangle); d. Distributions of Prionospio kaplani sp. nov (solid green hexagons); P. hermesia sp. nov (yellow circle), Aurospio tribranchiata sp. nov. (inverted orange triangle)

FIGURE 6. Prionospio hermesia sp. nov. a) Frontal view showing the first pair of branchiae; scale bar = 100 µm. b) Neuropodial multidentate hooded hooks; scale bar = 5 µm. c) Dorsal view of anterior chaetigers; scale bar = 100 µm. d) Photomicrograph of bidentate hook; scale bar = 10 µm. e) Photomicrograph of multidentate hook (x 1000).