Syllidia liniata Hartmann-Schröder, 1962

Ruta, Christine & Pleijel, Fredrik, 2006, A revision of Syllidia (Psamathini, Hesionidae, Polychaeta), Journal of Natural History 40 (9 - 10), pp. 503-521 : 518

Syllidia liniata Hartmann-Schröder, 1962 , nomen dubium

Syllidia liniata Hartmann-Schröder 1962, p 115 –116, Plate 5, Figures 23–26; Hartman 1965, p 26; Pleijel 1998, p 126, 163.

Material examined

Peru: holotype ( HZM P-14193), Isla Santa , Bahia Coisco, north of Chimbote, 9 m, mud and large shells, collector Noodt, 24 April 1956 .

Apomorphies

None currently known.

Description

Holotype in poor condition, consisting of anterior part of 18 segments and posterior part of eight or nine segments (posteriormost segments and pygidium missing), 3 and 1.5 mm long, respectively. Prostomium rounded rectangular, slightly longer than wide (but see Remarks). Nuchal organs lateral, mid-dorsally well separated. Proboscis everted, anterior part dissected and damaged, jaws and terminal ring of papillae no longer present. Neuropodial lobes and neurochaetae absent segments 1–3. All cirri missing. Median neurochaetae with longer blades than dorsal and ventral ones; ventralmost ones shortest. Chaetal shafts internally camerated. Several median chaetal blades with prolonged teeth.

Colour

Uniformly yellowish brown; no traces of pigmentation present.

Distribution

Only known from the type locality.

Remarks

Hartmann-Schröder, 1962 described S. liniata from a single specimen from Peru, and no other specimens have been reported to date. Syllidia liniata is similar to S. armata in having neurochaetae from segment 4, and at present there are no actual characters to support keeping the two separate. Hartmann-Schröder (1962) distinguished S. liniata from S. armata based on the shape of the jaws, the shape of the prostomium and the first two segments, and the dorsal pigmentation with transverse stripes on the anteriormost segments. However, her illustration of the jaws agrees with S. armata , and the difference in shape of prostomium could not be substantiated from examination of the specimen; it is slightly wider than long but this is the case also in specimens of S. armata with everted proboscis. The reported pigmentation is not shown on the original illustration and is no longer present on the specimen. In view of the poor condition of the single known specimen, we here treat it as a nomen dubium within Syllidia . A redescription based on newly collected specimens is required.