Harmothoe antilopes McIntosh, 1876

Barnich, Ruth & Fiege, Dieter, 2009, Revision of the genus Harmothoe Kinberg, 1856 (Polychaeta: Polynoidae) in the Northeast Atlantic, Zootaxa 2104 (1), pp. 1-76 : 18-20

Harmothoe antilopes McIntosh, 1876

( Figs. 1 , 8A–I )

Harmothoe antilopes McIntosh, 1876a: 383 , pl. 69 fig. 4; Hartmann-Schröder (1996): 43; Chambers & Muir (1997): 94, fig. 21; Barnich & Fiege (2000): 1901 , figs. 2B–G, 6A–D; Barnich & Fiege (2003): 33, figs. 11A–D, 12B–G, pl. 1.4.

Harmothoe antilopis: Fauvel (1923) : 56, fig. 19a–e.

Harmothoe norvegica Bidenkap, 1894a: 3 ; ( 1894b): 57, pl. 1.

Harmothoe africana Augener, 1918: 139 , pl. 2 figs. 15–19, textfig. 6. [new synonymy]

Harmothoe aequiseta africana: Day (1967) : 68 fig. 1.9.l–m.

Type material. Harmothoe antilopes , syntypes: 2 spms., BMNH 1921.5 .1.438, NE Atlantic, “Porcupine” Exp. Cruise, St. 1, 48°38’N, 10°15’W, dredged, 567 fathoms, 7 July 1870, sandy mud and stone. 2 spms., BMNH 1921.5 .1.437, NE Atlantic, “Porcupine” Exp. Cruise, St. 6, 48°26’N, 9°44’W, dredged, 358 fathoms, 11 July 1870, sandy bottom. 1 spm., BMNH 1921.5 .1.440, off the Hebrides, Scotland, dredged, July, J.G. Jeffreys .

H. africana : 4 syntypes, ZMH V576 , Senegal, Gorée Island, 22 and 24 m, leg. A. Hupfer. 1 syntype, ZMH V593 , Angola, Ambrizette Bay , leg. A. Hupfer.

Additional material. NE Atlantic: 1 spm., SMF 17278, Vigdis 1999, St. 16–3, 30 May 1999, 61°22'51.23'' N, 02°06'21.17'' E, 280 m, ded. A. Sikorski. 1 spm., Akvaplan-Niva Collection, Vigdis 1999, St. 17-4, 30 May 1999, 61°22'52.84'' N, 02°06'37.19'' E, 280 m. 3 spms., Akvaplan-Niva Collection, Vigdis 1999, St. 12-2, 30 May 1999, 61°22'23.60'' N, 02°06'51.29'' E, 278 m. 1 spm., SMF 17277, Vigdis 2005, St. PT 2 9-1, 11 June 2005, 61.37830° N, 2.10472° E, 281 m, ded. A. Sikorski .

Mediterranean: 1 spm., SMF 9205, Banyuls-sur-mer, 4 September 1997, coastal mud, 60 m. 1 spm., SMF 8543, “Urania” CS 96 St. 217, 3 January 1997, 36°39’N 13°13’E, Straight of Sicily , Malta Trough, 262 m, leg. H. Zibrowius.

(For further material see Barnich & Fiege 2000 and 2003).

Diagnosis. Anterior pair of eyes anteroventral beneath cephalic peaks. Elytral margin with long fringing papillae; surface covered by cylindrical microtubercles with bifid to crown-like multifid tip and few scattered papillae; anterior elytra with or without conical to club-shaped macrotubercles near posterior margin.

Description (based on additional specimens in good condition, SMF 9205 for anterior end and SMF 8543 for remaining parts).

Body with 34 segments. At anterior end ( Fig. 8A ), prostomium bilobed, with distinct cephalic peaks; ceratophore of median antenna in anterior notch, lateral antennae inserted ventrally, styles of antennae papillate, tapering subdistally to filiform tip; anterior pair of eyes situated anteroventrally beneath cephalic peaks, posterior pair dorsally near hind margin of prostomium; palps papillate, tapering.

Tentaculophores inserted laterally to prostomium, each with two notochaetae and a dorsal and ventral tentacular cirrus, styles of cirri papillate, tapering subdistally to filiform tip. Second segment with first pair of elytra, biramous parapodia, and long buccal cirri. Following segments with tapering, short ventral cirri.

Fifteen pairs of elytra, covering dorsum, on segments 2, 4, 5, 7, then on every second segment to 23, 26, 29, 32; last two segments cirrigerous; elytral margin with long fringing papillae; surface covered by cylindrical microtubercles with bifid to crown-like multifid tip and few scattered papillae (in anterior elytra conical to club-shaped macrotubercles may occurr near posterior margin, but not observed in spms. figured) ( Fig. 8B,C ). Cirrigerous segments with distinct dorsal tubercles; dorsal cirri with cylindrical cirrophore, style papillate, tapering subdistally to filiform tip.

Parapodia biramous; notopodia with elongate acicular lobe; neuropodia with elongate prechaetal acicular lobe with digitiform supra-acicular process; neuropodial postchaetal lobe shorter than prechaetal lobe, rounded; tips of noto- and neuroacicula penetrating epidermis ( Fig. 8D ). Notochaetae stouter than neurochaetae; with distinct rows of spines and blunt tip ( Fig. 8E,F ); neurochaetae with distinct rows of spines, mostly bidentate with distinct secondary tooth, some lower unidentate ( Fig. 8G–I ).

Measurements. H. antilopes , specimens figured: SMF 9205, L 10 mm, W 2 mm for 31 segments (juvenile; Fig. 8A ); SMF 8543, L 10 mm, W 3 mm for 34 segments ( Fig. 8B–I ). H. africana , syntype, ZMH V593 (cs): L 10 mm, W 3 mm for 37 segments.

Distribution. Northeast to Southeast Atlantic in general, Skagerrak, Great Belt, and Mediterranean.

Habitat. On soft bottoms in 4 to 537 m.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Identification characters of Harmothoe anoculata, H. ingolfiana, H. areolata, H. spinifera, H. antilopes, and H. imbricata.

FIGURE 8. Harmothoe antilopes (additional specimens: SMF 9205, Fig. 8A; SMF 8543, Figs. 8B–I). (A) anterior end; (B) right anterior elytron from unknown segment; (C) detail of posterior margin of same; (D) right cirrigerous parapodium from segment 16, posterior view, style of dorsal cirrus missing; (E) long notochaeta; (F) tip of same; (G) middle neurochaeta; (H) tip of same; (I) tip of lower neurochaeta. (Scale: A, B = 1 mm; C = 100 µm; D, E, G = 250 µm; F, H, I = 50 µm).