Prosadenoporus fujianensis ( Sun, 2001 ) Maslakova & Norenburg, 2008

Maslakova, Svetlana A. & Norenburg, Jon L., 2008, Revision of the smiling worms, genera Prosadenoporus Bürger, 1890 and Pantinonemertes Moore and Gibson, 1981 and description of a new species Prosadenoporus floridensis sp. nov. (Prosorhochmidae; Hoplonemertea; Nemertea) from Florida and Belize, Journal of Natural History 42 (25 - 26), pp. 1689-1727 : 1713-1716

Prosadenoporus fujianensis ( Sun, 2001) , new combination

( Figures 8F and 10D ; Tables 2 and 3)

Pantinomertes fujianensis ( Sun 2001)

Etymology

The species is named after the place of discovery – Fujian province of China.

Type material

Prosadenoporus fujianensis ( Sun, 2001) comb. nov. Holotype DH 07 and paratypes DH08 and DH09 are deposited with the College of Fisheries , Ocean University of Qingdao, China .

Material examined

Prosadenoporus fujianensis ( Sun, 2001) comb. nov. Holotype DH07, paratypes DH08 and DH09.

Diagnosis

Prosadenoporus fujianensis comb. nov. differs from all the other species of the genus except P. winsori by having multiple pouches of accessory stylets. It differs from P. winsori by lacking the pale mid-dorsal stripe and the neurochords, and by having fewer proboscis nerves (19–20 compared with 22–24) and fewer accessory stylet pouches (5 compared with 6–9) ( Table 3). Central stylet (S) 120 mm long, basis (B) truncated 380 mm long, S:B ratio 0.32. Data at hand are insufficient to make statistical comparison of the stylet metrics with other species.

Habitat and distribution

Semi-terrestrial; in mud not soaked with water in the mangrove area in the estuary of Jiulong Jiang River, Fugong, Longhai County, Fujian Province, China.

Remarks

The original description mentions 19 proboscis nerves in all three specimens, however, our re-investigation showed that the paratypes have 19 and the holotype has 20 proboscis nerves. Morphologically , this species most resembles another mangrove-dwelling species – P. winsori from Queensland, Australia. Unfortunately ,

tissue for molecular analysis was not available to us to compare the sequence divergence between the two species.

Prosadenoporus mooreae ( Gibson, 1982b) , new combination

( Figures 1C, 1D , 7 D–I and 10B; Tables 1–4)

Pantinonemertes mooreae ( Gibson 1982b, 1990; Sundberg 1989; Gibson and Sundberg 1992; Sun 2001)

Etymology

The species is named after Dr Janet Moore of the Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, as a tribute to her work on the terrestrial nemerteans of the world.

Type material

Prosadenoporus mooreae ( Gibson, 1982b) comb. nov. Sections of holotype W5903 and paratype W5904 are held at the Australian Museum, Sydney, Australia.

Material examined

Prosadenoporus mooreae ( Gibson, 1982b) comb. nov. Holotype W5903 and paratype W5904. Several additional specimens (most sectioned) collected by SAM in March 2003 from Picnic Bay and Cockle Bay , Magnetic Island , Queensland, Australia held at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC, USA ( USNM 1087356 , 1087357 , 1087359–1087361 , 1087358 ). One unsectioned specimen from the same collecting trip G20028 is held in 70% ethanol at the Museum of Tropical Queensland, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.

Diagnosis

Prosadenoporus mooreae comb. nov. does not have any known morphological apomorphies. It differs from all other species of the genus except P. mortoni by having a distinct greenish colour pattern with a dark-green to black mid-dorsal longitudinal stripe ( Figures 1C and 1D ). Similar to P. mortoni , P. mooreae has a very slender rounded stylet basis ( Figure 10B ). With the exception of the number of proboscis nerves (15–16 vs. 14) these two species are morphologically indistinguishable ( Table 2, 3) and represent the closest molecular pair in the genus, exhibiting sequence divergence of 2.4% (16S) and 4.1% (COI) ( Tables 1 and 4). Two accessory stylet pouches. Central stylet 50–130 mm long, average 5105 mm, basis (B) rounded 130–160 mm long, average 5145 mm, S:B ratio 0.33–0.92, average50.73. All three stylet metrics are significantly different from those of P. winsori . The S:B ratio is significantly different from that of Prosadenoporus floridensis (p 50.05). Data at hand are insufficient to make the statistical comparisons with other species.

Habitat and distribution

In silty mud beneath rocks and coral boulders, mid- to low-shore, intertidal. Picnic Bay and Cockle Bay, Magnetic Island, Queensland, Australia.

Remarks

Two specimens were collected originally in Picnic Bay by R. Gibson in 1975. SAM collected nine additional specimens from the nearby Cockle Bay in March 2003, and two from Picnic Bay. Gibson (1982b) reported only one measurement for the stylet apparatus (S:B ratio50.33), which is very different from that observed by SAM (average S:B for three specimens50.86). With the data at hand it is not possible to determine whether the difference is statistically significant. We pooled our measurements with Gibson’s and adjusted the means for the species accordingly. Contrary to Gibson’s observations, SAM found that P. mooreae uses its proboscis for rapid locomotion. Upon the slightest contact the worm everts its proboscis and quickly draws it back in, pulling itself into a crevice and out of reach of the collector.

Figures

Figure 1. External appearance of members of Prosadenoporus. (A) Female and male of Prosadenoporus floridensis sp. nov.; (B) Prosadenoporus winsori comb. nov. on a piece of rotten mangrove penetrated by teredinid burrows (its natural habitat); (C–D) Prosadenoporus mooreae comb. nov.; (E–F) anterior end of P. winsori (E5lateral view; F5dorsal view). Notes: cg, cerebral ganglia; pf, posterior cephalic furrow; sm, prosorhochmid smile. Scales: (A and C), 3 mm; (B), 20 mm; (D), 0.5 mm; (E and F), 1 mm.

Figure 7. Microscopic anatomy of Prosadenoporus species.(A–C) A series of transverse sections through the frontal organ of Prosadenoporus enalios comb. nov.; relative position of the lateral acidophilic regions (arrowheads) indicate a noticeable twist of the frontal organ canal; (D) a longitudinal sagittal section through frontal organ of Prosadenoporus mooreae comb. nov. (anterior to the right); (E–I) a series of slightly oblique transverse sections through the frontal organ of P. mooreae comb. nov.; lateral acidophilic regions of the frontal organ (arrowheads), note the twisting of the frontal organ canal; (J) transverse section through lateral nerve cord of Prosadenoporus winsori comb. nov. showing the tentative neurochord (arrowhead); (K) binucleate terminal cells of nephridia (flame cells) of P. winsori comb. nov. (arrowheads); (L) a longitudinal sagittal section through the frontal organ of P. winsori comb. nov. (anterior to the left). Notes: bgl, basophilic cephalic glands; cg, cerebral ganglia; fo, frontal organ; lnc, lateral nerve cord; rhd, rhynchodeum. Scales: (A–C), and (E–I), 50 mm; (D), 100 mm; (J), 30mm; (K), 20mm; (L), 200mm.

Figure 8. (A–D) A series of transverse sections through the frontal organ of Prosadenoporus winsori comb. nov.; relative position of the lateral acidophilic regions (arrowheads) indicate a noticeable twist of the frontal organ canal; (E) Neurochord cell of P. winsori comb. nov. (circled, insert); (F) Neurochord cell of Prosadenoporus fujianensis comb. nov. (circled, insert). Notes: bgl, basophilic cephalic glands; cg, cerebral ganglia; fo, frontal organ; pb, proboscis. Scales: (A–F), 100 mm; inserts, 50 mm.

Figure 10. Central stylets: (A) Prosadenoporus mortoni comb. nov. (a sketch of stylet apparatus provided by Dr Shichun Sun); (B) Prosadenoporus mooreae comb. nov. (specimen from the type locality coll.by SAM); (C) Pantinonemertes californiensis (after Gibson et al. 1982, p.471, fig.3b); (D) Prosadenoporus fujianensis comb. nov. (redrawn from Sun 2001, p.205, fig.23); (E) Prosadenoporus enalios comb. nov. (redrawn from Moore and Gibson 1981, p.183, plate III, fig.c); (F) Prosadenoporus agricola comb. nov. (redrawn from Coe 1904. p.571. plate 23, fig.3); (G–H) Prosadenoporus winsori comb. nov. (specimen from the type locality coll. by SAM); (I) Prosadenoporus floridensis sp. nov. Note: Scales: (A, B, E, F), 100mm; (C, D, G, H, I), 500 mm.