Reteterebella Hartman, 1963

Nogueira, João Miguel Matos, Hutchings, Pat & Carrerette, Orlemir, 2015, Terebellidae (Annelida, Terebelliformia) from Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, Zootaxa 4019 (1), pp. 484-576 : 501-504

Genus Reteterebella Hartman, 1963

Reteterebella Hartman 1963: 355 .— Hutchings & Glasby 1988: 49.

Type-species. Reteterebella queenslandia Hartman, 1963 , by monotypy.

Diagnosis. Transverse prostomium attached to dorsal surface of upper lip; basal part with eyespots; distal part shelf-like. Buccal tentacles much longer than body length, highly extensile. Peristomium forming lips; hood-like upper lip, usually as wide as long; small, swollen lower lip, restricted to oral area. Segment 1 only conspicuous dorsally, ventrally fused to lower lip. Lobes on anterior segments usually present, low, flaring lobes on segments 2– 5. Paired dorso-lateral arborescent branchiae present on segments 2–4, 3 pairs. Anterior segments with glandular, rectangular to trapezoidal, almost smooth to strongly corrugated mid-ventral shields; mid-ventral groove extending posteriorly from termination of mid-ventral shields. Short and conical notopodia beginning from segment 5, extending for 15–16 segments, until segments 20–21. Narrowly-winged notochaetae in both rows, wings almost inconspicuous, in the case of chaetae from posterior row only present on distal half of chaetae. Neuropodia present from segment 5, as low ridges until termination of notopodia, as low rectangular pinnules thereafter; elongate tori in region with notopodia, reaching mid-ventral groove on posterior thorax. Neurochaetae throughout as shorthandled avicular uncini, arranged in partially to completely intercalated double rows from segment 10 until termination of notopodia; elongate, angular uncini, sharp cornered, superficially resembling type 1 uncini of some polycirrids. Nephridial and genital papillae usually present on segments 3–8, dorsal to line of notopodia on segments 3–4, between parapodial lobes and minute on segments 5–8. Pygidium smooth to slightly crenulate ( Hutchings & Glasby 1988).

Remarks. Reteterebella queenslandia Hartman, 1963 , the first known species in this genus, was described from Heron Island on the southern GBR, where it occurs in large numbers under boulders in the reef flat, extending the long and thick buccal tentacles all over the substrate. This has resulted in the popular name of “spaghetti worms”. Members of this species are large, reaching around 20 cm in length from prostomium to pygidium and the buccal tentacles extending for up 1–1.5 m in length.

A second species of this genus, R. aloba was described from material from NSW by Hutchings & Glasby (1988), for much smaller specimens without lobes on anterior segments, but sharing with members of R. queenslandia the presence of three pairs of branchiae, 15–16 pairs of notopodia, both noto- and neuropodia beginning from segment 5, double rows of uncini from segment 10 to last with notopodia, and the unique morphology of the uncini, resembling type 1 uncini of some polycirrids, except for the position of the dorsal button at mid-length of base, instead of at the base of main fang, as occurs among members of that family.

We include here a redescription of R. queenslandia based on type material and also on additional material from Heron Island, to facilitate comparisons with our new species. Reteterebella queenslandia has also been reported for the Solomon Islands ( Gibbs 1971) and that material should be reviewed to confirm the identification and the distribution of the species.