Notophyllum americanum Verrill, 1885

Kato, Tetsuya & Pleijel, Fredrik, 2002, A revision of Notophyllum Örsted, 1843 (Phyllodocidae, Polychaeta), Journal of Natural History 36 (10), pp. 1135-1178 : 1150-1152

Notophyllum americanum Verrill, 1885

(gure 6)

Notophyllum americanum Verrill, 1885a: 432–433 ; Verrill, 1885b: pl. 40, gure 184; Hartman, 1944: 338, pl. 23, gure 7; Pettibone, 1963: 84, gure 17b.

Notophyllum cf. americanum: Pleijel, 1993: 7–8 , gure 1, map 1.

Material examined. USA: holotype (USNM-1016 1), oOE Martha’s Vineyard, MA, 40ss03.48¾N, 70ss45.54¾W, 100 fms, 16 July 1881 . Sweden: one specimen ( SMNH 22504 ), Säcken , Koster area, Bohuslän, 59ss00¾N 11ss07¾E, 65–80 m, 8 September 1989 .

Description. Holotype complete specimen (cut into three pieces), ca 40 mm long and 3.8 mm wide for 129 segments. Body broad, of uniform width, dorso-ventrally attened; dorsum largely covered by dorsal cirri. Prostomium rounded to triangular, about as long as wide, with antero-ventral elongation and a pair of large, rounded eyes with lenses. Length of paired antennae and palps ca two-thirds length of prostomium. Median antenna as long as prostomium, inserted between eyes. Nuchal organs with 7–12 lobes (gure 6A). Number of lobes in smaller specimens (<27 mm long) unknown. Proboscis (examined on Swedish specimen with incompletely everted proboscis) long, about as wide as prostomium with lateral rows of rounded papillae on each side; papillary rows absent from proximal-most part (gure 6B). Lateral papillae in three to four merged rows. Proximal part with group of two to three rounded papillae on each side dorso-laterally. Proximal half of proboscis dorsally and ventrally covered with diOEusely distributed minute, rounded papillae, 8–12 m m in diameter; density of papillae higher on ventral than on dorsal side; proximal-most part with equally high density on both sides. Distal part of proboscis dorsally and ventrally covered with large oval papillae of 50–80 m m in maximum diameter. Distal end of proboscis not observed. First two segments together less prominent than segment 3, indistinctly separated. Tentacular cirri of segment 1 reaching ca segment 5. Dorsal tentacular cirri of segment 2 reaching ca segment 11. Ventral tentacular cirri of segment 2 reaching ca segment 5, asymmetrical, distally gradually tapered; posteriorly directed. Dorsal tentacular cirri of segment 3 with damaged tips in examined specimen, reaching ca segment 8. Segment 2 with ca ve compound chaetae arising from ventral tentacular cirrophores. Segment 3 with small neuropodial lobes with ca ve compound chaetae and small ventral cirri. Dorsal and ventral aciculae in segment 2 and 3 unknown. Dorsal cirri of median segments broad reniform (gure 6C, D). Tips of dorsal cirri absent in large specimens; unknown in juvenile specimens. Dorsal cirrophores dorsally elongated, from segment 13 with single aciculae and one to three capillary chaetae. Neuropodial lobes with 30–50 compound chaetae. Ventral cirri reniform. Pygidial cirri papilliform (Verrill, 1885a). Pygidial papilla present.

Colour. Holotype very dark green (Verrill, 1885a). Preserved holotype brown. Eyes indistinct. Swedish live specimen with strong brownish black metallic hue. Eyes brownish black. Colour well retained after preservation. Eyes indistinct.

Habitat. From 65 to 180 m depth.

Distribution. Known only from oOE Martha’s Vineyard, MA, USA and the Koster area, Bohuslän, Sweden.

Remarks. Notophyllum americanum is known only from the holotype from Massachusetts, North America and a subsequent record of a single specimen from Sweden ( Pleijel, 1993; as Notophyllum cf. americanum ). The identity of the Swedish specimen is currently uncertain, and additional collection and information from specimens from the type area would be desirable, especially relating to the morphology of the proboscis. We here tentatively treat both specimens as conspeci c. Notophyllum americanum diOEers from other Notophyllum in having nuchal organs with more than seven lobes and dorsally elongated dorsal cirrophores with notopodial capillaries.