Prosphaerosyllis longipapillata (Hartmann-Schröder, 1979)

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 : 61-64

Prosphaerosyllis longipapillata (Hartmann-Schröder, 1979)

Figs. 17A–G, 18A–H

Sphaerosyllis longipapillata Hartmann-Schröder, 1979: 106 , figs. 148–150; 1982: 71; 1984: 23; 1985: 71; 1986: 43; 1991: 40.

Sphaerosyllis (Prosphaerosyllis) longipapillata .–Hartmann-Schröder, 1987: 41.

Material examined. AUSTRALIA: NEW SOUTH WALES. 4 specimens, AM W484, Port Jackson, 33°51'S 151°16'E. 1 specimen, AM W12402, Careel Bay, Pittwater, 33°37'S 151°19'E, Zostera sp. , P.A. Hutchings, 06 Sep 1973. 2 specimens, AM W15812, south bank of Lake Merimbula, 36°53.7'S 149°54.5'E, short Zostera & Halophila spp. , J.H. Day & party, 06 Oct 1975. 1 specimen, AM W22624, Cararma Inlet, Jervis Bay, 35°00'S 150°46.5'E, Zostera capricorni, L. Howitt, Mar 1989 . 4 specimens, AM W23140, Honeymoon Bay, Jervis Bay, 35°03.8'S 150°45.4'E, unvegetated sediment, 20 m, P.A. Hutchings & party, 20 Feb 1989. 1 specimen, AM W23906, Port Hacking, 34°04.08'S 151°06.27'E, sand, 18.7 m, A M party, 27 Oct 1994. 1 specimen, AM W23922, Port Hacking, 34°04.17'S 151°06.41'E, sand, 16.4 m,AM party, 12 Jan 1995. 1 specimen, AM W23923, Pittwater, 33°35.84'S 151°18.33'E, sand, 15.3 m, AM party, 31 July 1995. 1 specimen, AM W23924, Port Hacking, 34°04.11'S 151°06.46'E, sand, 17.3 m,AM party, 12 Oct 1995. 19 specimens, AM W26645, Bottle and Glass Rocks, Port Jackson, 33°50.9'S 151°16.2'E, airlift, 12 m, G. Clark, 11 Dec 1989. 10 specimens, AM W26654, Grotto Point, Port Jackson, 33°49'S 151°15'E, algae, 4 m, P. Colman, 18 July 1983. 1 specimen, AM W26658, north east corner of Clark Island, 33°51.85'S 151°14.47'E, encrustation on outside of bottle, 5 m, P.A. Hutchings, 17 Apr 1996. 1 specimen, AM W26699, Weeney Bay, Botany Bay, 34°01.3'S 151°09.7'E, 1 m, A. Roach & A. Jones, 30 Mar 1995. 1 specimen, AM W26700, Green Point, Jervis Bay, 35°01.0'S 150°46.0'E, in Zostera & Halophila , 5 m, P.A. Hutchings, 23 Jan 1973. 1 specimen, AM W26701, North Creek Canal, Richmond River, 28°52.1'S 153°32.8'E, mud, 3 m, P.B. Berents et al., 02 Mar 1992. 1 specimen, AM W196422, Brooklyn Boat Channel, Hawkesbury River, 33°33'S 151°14'E, A. Jones & party, 16 May 1980. 1 specimen, AM W196423, Brooklyn Boat Channel, Hawkesbury River, 33°33'S 151°14'E, A. Jones & party, 21 Aug 1980. 1 specimen, AM W196424, Brooklyn Boat Channel, Hawkesbury River, 33°33'S 151°14'E, A. Jones & party, 21 Aug 1980. 1 specimen, AM W196425, east end Brooklyn Boat Channel, Hawkesbury River, 33°33'S 151°14'E, A. Jones & party, 18 Dec 1979. 2 specimens, AM W196426, east end Brooklyn Boat Channel, Hawkesbury River, 33°33'S 151°14'E, A. Jones & party, 16 May 1980. 5 specimens,AM W196427, east end Brooklyn Boat Channel, Hawkesbury River, 33°33'S 151°14'E, A. Jones & party, 21 Aug 1980. 1 specimen, AM W196428, east end Brooklyn Boat Channel, Hawkesbury River, 33°33'S 151°14'E, A. Jones & party, 21 Aug 1980. 4 specimens, AM W196429, 0.5 km east of Dangar Island, Hawkesbury River, 33°33'S 150°14'E, A. Jones & party, 21 Aug 1980. 1 specimen, AM W196430, 0.5 km east of Dangar Island, Hawkesbury River, 33°33'S 150°14'E, A. Jones & party, 21 Aug 1980.1 specimen, AM W196432, Brooklyn Boat Channel, Hawkesbury River, 33°33'S 151°14'E, A. Jones & party, 18 Dec 1979. VICTORIA. 1 specimen, AM W4504, Bass Strait, 38°59'S 148°34'E, globerina clay, 466 m, C. Phipps, May 1969. 1 specimen, AM W16235, Port Phillip Bay, 38°21.0'S 144°51.5'E, sand, 9 m, 09 Dec 1971. 1 specimen, MV F87427, Port Phillip Bay, off Port Arlington, 38°07.0'S 144°41.3'E, sand, 2 m depth, 10 Jun 1971. TASMANIA. 1 specimen,AM W23143, next to jetty at boat ramp, Dover, Port Esperance, 43°19'S 147°01.5'E, Heterozostera & surface sediment, 1.5 m, P.B. Berents, 19 Apr 1991. SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 5 specimens, AM W26748, Elliston Reef, 33°39'S 134°53'E, algal washings, P.A. Hutchings, 11 Mar 1979. 1 specimen, AM W26749, Elliston Reef, 33°39'S 134°53'E, algae from reef flat at low tide, P.A. Hutchings, 11 Mar 1979. 32 specimens, AM W26750, Billy Lights Point, Port Lincoln, 34°45'S 135°53'E, stone washings from sheltered intertidal rocks, I. Loch, 15 Feb 1985. WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 1 specimen,AM W26820, inshore reef, Ned’s Camp, Cape Range National Park, 21°59'S 113°55'E, black sponge, 1.5 m, J.K. Lowry, 2 Jan 1984. 2 specimens, AM W26834, 5 km offshore, Bush Bay, 30 km south of Carnarvon, 25°10'S 113°39'E, airlift in strap-leaved seagrass beds, 2 m, J.K. Lowry & R.T. Springthorpe, 6 Jan 1984. 3 specimens, AM W27118, north end of Long Island, Goss Passage, 28°28.3'S 113°46.3'E, dead coral covered with coralline algae & boring bivalves, 8 m, C. Bryce, 22 May 1994. 1 specimen, AM W27119, Wallabi Island group, 28°23.98'S 113°46.73'E, rubble, medium sand from scallop beds, 40 m, P.A. Hutchings on FRV “Flinders”, 28 May 1994. 1 specimen, AM W27120, Wallabi Island group, 28°23.61'S 113°45.09'E, scallop beds, shell & sponge debris, 35 m, P.A. Hutchings on FRV “Flinders”, 30 May 1994. 1 specimen, AM W27651, limestone reef, off Ned’s camp, Cape Range National Park, 21°59'S 113°55'E, sponge with epiphytic algae, and muddy worm tubes, 1.5 m, R.T. Springthorpe, 2 Jan 1984. 7 specimens, AM W27656, inshore reef off Ned’s Camp, Cape Range National Park, 21°59'S 113°59'E, frilly Caulerpa sp., 1 m, J.K. Lowry, 2 Jan 1984.1 specimen, AM W27665, reef west of groyne, 2 km south of Cape Peron, 32°16'S 115°41'E, orange sponge in deep channel of limestone reef, 4.5 m, R.T. Springthorpe, 26 Dec 1983.

Description. Body small, short, 3.5 mm long, 0.3 mm wide, 28–30 chaetigers, usually covered by debris (Fig. 18B,F). Prostomium rectangular to oval, wider than long, usually partially or totally covered by dorsal fold of peristomium, with 4 large eyes in trapezoidal arrangement, close to each other on each side, and 2 small anterior eyespots. Antennae pyriform, with bulbous bases and short tips, all similar; median antenna inserted between anterior eyes, lateral antennae inserted on anterior margin of prostomium (Fig. 17A). Palps short, totally fused all along their length, with numerous, short papillae (Figs. 17A, 18C). Peristomium large and long (Figs. 17A, 18A), provided with few small papillae and some moderately long papillae on lateral margins; tentacular cirri similar to antennae but distinctly smaller. Nuchal organs small, located laterally in front of tentacular cirri (Fig. 18C), anteriorly protected by a lip (Fig. 18D). Dorsal cirri on all parapodia; anterior dorsal cirri similar to antennae (Figs. 17A, 18C), progressively increasing in length posteriorly, elongate (Figs. 17B, 18A,B,E), with a median enlargement and a distal, retractile cirrostyle (Fig. 17B). Dorsal papillae of 3 sizes; numerous small, rounded papillae distributed irregularly, about 4 moderately long papillae on dorsum of each segment, located laterally and dorsolaterally, and 2 long, digitiform papillae on each segment, forming 2 longitudinal rows of median, long papillae (Figs. 17A,B, 18A,B). Parapodia conical, provided with few, small papillae (Figs. 17A,B). Anterior parapodia each with 8–9 compound chaetae, with smooth shafts and short, unidentate, slightly hooked blades, with short marginal spines (Figs. 17C, 18G,H), similar in size, 14–10 µm long; progressively posteriorly decreasing number of compound chaetae on each parapodium to 4–5, similar to anterior chaetae, blades totally smooth, more strongly hooked (Fig. 17E), about 12 µm long. Dorsal simple chaetae from anterior parapodia, usually from chaetiger 1, smooth, unidentate (Fig. 17D). Ventral simple chaetae on posterior parapodia, sigmoid, smooth (Fig. 17F). Acicula solitary, acuminate (Fig. 17G). Pharynx through 4–5 segments; pharyngeal tooth ovate, located about on midline of pharynx (Fig. 17A). Proventricle similar in size to pharynx, through 3 segments, with about 22 muscle cell rows.

Distribution. Australia (all States).

Remarks. The species Prosphaerosyllis bilineata (Kudenov & Harris, 1995) , from California, is similar but the arrangement of dorsal papillae appear to be slightly different. Also, Prosphaerosyllis chinensis (Jing & Wu, 1991) appears to be close to P. longipapillata , with similar arrangement of dorsal papillae (Jing & Wu, 1991).

Habitat. Common on all substrates, from corals to mud; occurs from intertidal to 466 m depth.