Levinsenia oculata ( Hartman, 1957 )

Lovell, Lawrence L. & Fitzhugh, Kirk, 2020, Taking a closer look: an SEM review of Levinsenia species (Polychaeta: Paraonidae) reported from California, Zootaxa 4751 (2), pp. 257-275 : 265-266

Levinsenia oculata ( Hartman, 1957)

Figures 5 A–E, 7E, F

Paraonis gracilis oculata Hartman, 1957: 331–332 , Pl. 44, Figs 1–3; 1963: 77–78, 3 Figs 1-3.

Tauberia oculata . — Strelzov, 1973: 133–135, Figs 16(10), 58 (Synonymy).—Smith, 1985: 186.

Levinsenia oculata .— Blake, 1996: 34–36, Fig. 2.2.

Levinsenia kirbyorum . —of authors SCB not Lovell 2002.

Material examined. USA, California, Southern California Bight, Bight 2008, Sta. 7168, 822 m depth, 33.2748°N, 118.0861°W, 18 September 2008, 0.1 m ² Van Veen, 1.0 mm sieve, 1 specimen ( LACM-AHF 12585 ) ; station 7251, 696 m depth, 33.5793°N, 118.3287°W, 16 July 2008, 0.1 m ² Van Veen grab, 1.0 mm sieve, 1 specimen ( LACM- AHF 12586 ) ; Sta. 5925, 1 specimen, SEM stub ( LACM-AHF 12587 ) . OCSD 97130 , Sta. 37, rep. 4, 56 m, 0.1 m ² Van Veen grab, 1.0 mm sieve, 1 specimen, SEM stub ( LACM-AHF 12588 ) . Bight 2013, Sta. 9132, 82.6 m, 9 September 2013 ( OCSD voucher 2436), 1 specimen, SEM stub ( LACM-AHF 12589 ) .

Description. Specimens up to 20 mm long, 0.25 mm wide. Body slightly inflated in prebranchial region, thereafter cylindrical in cross section. Body cream colored, brownish ‘ocular’ pigment on lateral margins of prostomium. Prostomium triangular, as long as wide, with terminal sensory organ, nuchal organs and lateral ciliary patches; pigmented ‘eyespots’ ( Fig. 7E, F); median antenna absent; peristomium with ciliated nuchal organs. Five to eight prebranchial segments followed by 8–11 pairs of tapering branchiae, 6–7 times longer than wide, distally blunt, sparsely ciliated, connected dorsally by bands of cilia ( Fig. 5B, C). Prebranchial notopodial post-chaetal lobes as low mounds, cirriform in branchial region, shorter post-branchial. Neuropodial post-chaetal lobes absent. Notopodial sensory pores present on all segments ( Fig. 5D). Notochaetae capillary throughout. Neuropodial capillary chaetae throughout; post-branchial chaetigers include distally curved acicular spines with convex fringe of fibrils, up to seven per fascicle, alternating with long capillaries ( Fig. 5E). Pygidium narrow, two anal cirri.

Methyl green stain. Thorax staining in pre- and post-chaetal areas, speckled in pre-branchial chaetigers, a solid band in branchial and 2–3 post-branchial chaetigers, with similar lighter staining in abdominal chaetigers ( Fig. 7E).

Type locality. USA, Southern California, outer Los Angeles Harbor .

Distribution. Central California to Gulf of California, shallow subtidal to 1272 m.

Remarks. This species is rarely encountered on the Southern California Bight shelf and more typically collected in slope and basin depths. Reports of shallow subtidal collections need to be verified. For information on diagnostic species differences see the dichotomous key below and table of character distributions ( Table 2). The presence of ‘ocular’ pigment separates L. oculata from L. gracilis , but can fade over time in preserved specimens. The first author has seen freshly collected specimens from off Angola West Africa with ‘ocular’ pigment similar to L. oculata , but differs in having shorter, curved neurochaetal spines.