Anamenia gorgonophila ( Kowalevsky, 1880 )

Pedrouzo, Lucía, Cobo, M. Carmen, García-Álvarez, Óscar, Rueda, José L., Gofas, Serge & Urgorri, Victoriano, 2014, Solenogastres (Mollusca) from expeditions off the South Iberian Peninsula, with the description of a new species, Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 48 (45 - 48), pp. 2985-3006 : 2999-3000

Anamenia gorgonophila ( Kowalevsky, 1880)

Figure 2C–E

Material examined

Nineteen specimens. One specimen cut in serial sections. Gulf of Cádiz (INDEMARES/Chica 0211): 10 specimens, 564–945 m depth. Alborán Sea (INDEMARES/Alborán 0911): nine specimens, 100–125 m depth ( Table 1) .

Distribution

Type locality. La Calle Argelia (Western Mediterranean) ( Kowalevsky 1880). Further records: Mediterranean Sea ( Malta Islands to Alborán Sea); Gorringe Bank; Gulf of Cádiz (this report); Azores Islands and NW Iberian Peninsula. 65–845 m depth ( García-Álvarez et al. 1999; Salvini-Plawen 1972; García-Álvarez and Salvini- Plawen 2007, 2011; Mifsud et al. 2008).

Description

Specimens elongate and coiled (14–30 mm long; 0.76–1.5 mm wide), without keels or lumps, with rounded body ends ( Figure 2C–E ). Thick cuticle (up to 200 μm) with pedunculate epidermal papillae. Two types of sclerites arranged in six to seven layers tightly interwoven: main body sclerites are hollow acicular with slightly curved in their medial area (125–325 μm long; 15–20 μm wide) and knife-shaped scales (50–75 μm long; 13–14 μm wide) on both sides of the pedal groove.

Taxonomic remarks

Based on hard parts and internal anatomy, the present specimens could be unambiguously identified as Anamenia gorgonophila .

Habitat and associated fauna

Of the 10 specimens collected off the Gulf of Cádiz, three specimens come from the volcano Chica and they were found on gorgonians of the species Acanthogorgia hirsuta Gray and Placogorgia spp. Wright and Studer on a substratum of thick sand, gravel and rocks at 660–667 m depth; the typical community of this volcano is dominated by Octocorallia, including representatives of Pennatulacea and Alcyonacea (e.g. Callogorgia verticillata [Pallas]). Six specimens come from the volcano Pipoca and also there they were found on the gorgonians A. hirsuta and Placogorgia spp. , at 564–695 m depth. The habitat was characterized by aggregations of gorgonians ( A. hirsuta , Swiftia pallida Madsen ) and antipatharians ( Leiopathes glaberrima (Esper)) on muddy sand and rocks. One specimen was collected at the volcano Almazán on Placogorgia , from a similar habitat as mentioned above at 875– 945 m depth. Of the nine specimens from the Alborán Sea (adjacent to Alborán Island), eight were found on the hydrozoans Aglaophenia sp. Lamoroux, on a bottom of organogenic gravel at 100–109 m depth and one specimen was collected on the gorgonian Eunicella filiformis (Studer) ( Figure 2C ) on a rocky sediment at 122–125 m depth.

Anamenia gorgonophila was usually described associated with gorgonians, Paramunicea clavata (Risso) ( Nierstrasz and Stork 1940; Salvini-Plawen 1972a, 1997), Muricea sp. ( Nierstrasz and Stork 1940; Salvini-Plawen 1972a, 1997), Eunicella spp. ( Salvini-Plawen 1986, 1997), Eunicella filiformis (Studer) (García- Álvarez et al. 1999) and Acanthogorgia granulata Grasshoff ( García-Álvarez et al. 1999). We found it associated with other species of gorgonians ( A. hirsuta and Placogorgia spp. ) and also with hydrozoans ( Aglaophenia sp. ); this increases the knowledge of its potential prey organisms. No cnidocysts were found in the midgut on the sectioned specimens.

Figures

Figure 2. (A, B) Unciherpia hirsuta (habitus); (C–E) Anamenia gorgonophila (habitus), (C) on Eunicella filliformis.