Brania furcelligera (Augener, 1913)

Guillermo San Martin, 2005, Exogoninae (Polychaeta: Syllidae) from Australia With the Description of a New Genus and Twenty-two New Species, Records of the Australian Museum 57, pp. 39-152 : 105-106

Brania furcelligera (Augener, 1913)

Fig. 59A–I

Grubea furcelligera Augener, 1913: 256 , pl. 3, figs. 20, 21, textfig. 39.

Brania furcelligera .–Day & Hutchings, 1979: 100. Hartmann-Schröder, 1974b: 48, figs. 27–32; 1980a: 54, fig. 44; 1983: 133, fig. 21; 1991: 38; 1992a: 59.

Material examined. AUSTRALIA: NEW SOUTH WALES. 1 specimen, AM W26437, 100 m north west of Split Solitary Island, 30°14.0'S 153°10.8'E, encrusting algae and ascidians, 16 m, E.L. Albertson, 7 Mar 1992. SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 7 specimens, AM W26743, Victor Harbour, 35°33'S 138°38'E, algal washings, P.A. Hutchings, 16 Mar 1979. 7 specimens, AM W26744, Elliston Reef, 33°39'S 134°53'E, algal washings, P.A. Hutchings, 11 Mar 1979. WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 2 specimens,AM W26816, inshore reef, Ned’s Camp, Cape Range National Park, 21°59'S 113°55'E, very fine sediment and sand from patches in reef, 1 m, H.E. Stoddart, 2 Jan 1984. 1 specimen, AM W27095, east side of West Wallabi Island, 28°27.9'S 113°40.9'E, in Posidonia australis root mat with epifauna, 2 m, P.A. Hutchings, 26 May 1994. 2 specimens, AM W27410, north end of beach, Bundegi Reef, Exmouth Gulf, 21°49'S 114°11'E, rocky rubble, coralline algae with green epiphyte, 2 m, H.E. Stoddart, 4 Jan 1984. 1 specimen, AM W27412, Red Bluff, Kalbarri, 27°42'S 114°09'E, mixed coralline algae from rocky shore, 4 m, J.K. Lowry, 10 Jan 1984. 3 specimens, AM W27420, north end of beach, Buni Reef, Exmouth Gulf, 21°49'S 114°11'E, rocky rubble, brown algae with epiphytes, sediment, 2 m, H.E. Stoddart, 4 Jan 1984.

Description. Body small, filiform, up to 4 mm long, 0.17 mm wide, for 50 chaetigers. Prostomium semi-circular to pentagonal, with 4 large eyes in trapezoidal arrangement and 2 anterior small eyespots. Antennae elongate, spindleshaped to bowling-pin shaped; median antenna longer than lateral ones, slightly shorter than prostomium and palps together, inserted between posterior eyes and eyespots; lateral antennae slightly longer than prostomium, inserted in front of anterior eyes, similar in shape to median antenna. Palps similar in length to prostomium, fused for their basal half (Fig. 59A). Peristomium similar in length to following segments, covering dorsally posterior margin of prostomium; dorsal tentacular cirri similar to lateral antennae but shorter, ventral tentacular cirri similar to dorsal ones but shorter. Parapodial glands conspicuous, with dark, granular material, usually 2 glands per parapodium. Dorsal cirri similar to dorsal tentacular cirri (Fig. 59A), slightly longer than parapodial lobes, longer on posterior chaetigers than on anterior chaetigers (Fig. 59A,E).Ventral cirri digitiform, shorter than parapodial lobes. Compound chaetae similar throughout, but having heterogomph articulation on anterior parapodia (Fig. 59D), and hemigomph articulations on posterior parapodia, with thicker shafts, provided with a few thick spines (Fig. 59G); blades unidentate, distally rounded, slightly hooked, marginal spines moderate in length; a subdistal spine near tip longer than other spines, more marked on longer blades (Fig. 59D,G). Parapodium each with about 8 compound chaetae on anterior parapodia, 5 on posterior parapodia; slight dorsoventral gradation in length of blades, diminishing progressively in length, 18 µm above, 6.5 µm below on anterior parapodia; 14 µm above, 8 µm below on posterior parapodia. Dorsal simple chaetae from anterior parapodia, unidentate, provided with about 4–5 short marginal serrations of different sizes, one of them much larger than others (Fig. 59B,F), posterior dorsal simple chaetae much thicker than anterior ones. Ventral simple chaetae on posterior parapodia, sigmoid, smooth and unidentate (Fig. 59H). Solitary acicula on each parapodium, tip enlarged, rounded, and slightly hollow (Fig. 59C,I). Pharynx longer than proventricle, through 3–4 segments; pharyngeal tooth conical, located on anterior margin (Fig. 59A). Proventricle short, through 2 segments, with about 16–18 muscle cell rows. Pygidium small, bilobed, with 2 long anal cirri, longer than median antenna (Fig. 59E).

Remarks. Brania arminii (Langerhans, 1881) , from the Canary Islands, Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea, is similar, differing in the shape of dorsal simple chaetae (see Langerhans, 1881; Núñez et al., 1992; San Martín, 1984a, 2003).

Distribution. Australia (New South Wales, South Australia, WesternAustralia, Queensland). SouthAfrica, New Zealand. Islands of tropical Pacific.

Habitat. Sand, coralline sand, algae, corals.Intertidal and shallow water.