Salvatoria opisthodentata (Hartmann-Schröder, 1979), Guillermo San Martin, 2005

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 : 57

Salvatoria opisthodentata (Hartmann-Schröder, 1979) n.comb.

Fig. 13A–D

Brania opisthodentata Hartmann-Schröder, 1979: 101 , figs. 134, 135; 1981: 35. Not Hartmann-Schröder, 1991: 38, figs. 65–67.

Material examined. AUSTRALIA: NEW SOUTH WALES. 1 specimen, AM W26543, 100 m north west of Split Solitary Island, 30°14.0'S 153°10.8'E, encrusting algae & ascidians, 16 m, E.L.Albertson, 7 Mar 1992. VICTORIA. 2 specimens, MV F62748, eastern Bass Strait, 11.7 km west of Pt. Ricardo, 37°49.9'S 148°01'E, sand & shell, 29 m depth, 28 Sept 1990.

Description. Body fragile, delicate, broken specimens often lacking some appendages, minute, 1.9 mm long, 0.12–0.2 mm wide, 26 chaetigers. Prostomium ovate, wider than long, with 4 large eyes in trapezoidal arrangement and, sometimes, 2 anterior eyespots. Antennae slightly spindleshaped, not longer than combined lengths of palps and prostomium; median antenna inserted between posterior eyes (lacking in the figured specimen, Fig. 13A), lateral antennae inserted in front of anterior eyes. Palps rectangular, dorsally fused by a membrane on their basal 2 ⁄, with long 3 distal part not fused. Tentacular and dorsal cirri similar in length, varying slightly in length, all cylindrical, narrow basally, slightly inflated distally, slightly club-shaped, absent on chaetiger 2 (Fig. 13A). About 4–5 compound chaetae on each parapodium, blades short, 18 µm above, 10 µm below, bidentate, both teeth widely separated and similar in size or subdistal tooth longer and thicker than distal tooth, slender, fine, erect marginal spines, longer in dorsalmost chaetae (Fig. 13C). Dorsal simple chaetae from chaetiger 1–2, unidentate, provided with small, short subdistal marginal spines (Fig. 13B). Ventral simple chaetae from about chaetiger 17, smooth, sigmoid, strongly bidentate (Fig. 13D). Pharynx long, through about 6 segments; pharyngeal tooth small, nearly conical, located in front of midline of pharynx (Fig. 13A). Proventricle slightly shorter than pharynx, through about 5 segments, with 21–22 muscle cell rows. Pygidium with 2 anal cirri, similar to dorsal cirri.

Remarks. The types of this species come from Western Australia and agree with the specimens described above. The two specimens reported from Queensland by Hartmann-Schröder (1991) were examined; one, the figured specimen, is similar to Salvatoria pilkena n.sp. (see below) but it could represent another, undescribed species; the other specimen is Sphaerosyllis bardukaciculata n.sp. (see below).

Distribution. Australia (Western Australia, Victoria, New South Wales).

Habitat. Coarse and fine sand, sand and shell, to 29 m depth.