Leonnates aylaoberi Çinar & Dagli 2013, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Çinar, Melih Ertan
name: Dagli, Ertan
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Annelida
Polychaeta
Phyllodocida
Nereididae
Leonnates
Leonnates aylaoberi

description: Leonnates aylaoberi sp. nov.
(Figures 6–10)
Material examined
Holotype. ESFM-POL / 2005-1658, 27 September 2005, D38, Levantine Sea, Antalya Bay, 36 ◦ 49 ′ 18 ′′ N, 30 ◦ 37 ′ 03 ′′ ′ E, 50 m, mud.
Paratypes. ESFM-POL / 2010-38, 15 April 2010, Sea of Marmara: station A, 40 ◦ 31 ′ 16 ′′ ′ N, 26 ◦ 58 ′ 47 ′′ E, 48 m, muddy sand, two specimens; ESFM-POL / 2005- 1596, 8 October 2005, Aegean Sea, Kusadasi Bay, G 42, 37 ◦ 51 ′ 50 ′′ N, 27 ◦ 13 ′ 28 ′′ E, 50 m, sandy mud, four specimens; ESFM-POL / 2009-260, 11 November 2009, Aegean Sea, Izmir Bay, G 17, 38 ◦ 25.9 ′ N, 26 ◦ 39.1 ′ E, 28 m, sandy mud, one specimen; ESFM-POL / 2011-131, 1 September 2011, Aegean Sea, Menderes, station 35, 37 ◦ 56 ′ 58 ′′ N, 27 ◦ 15 ′ 36 ′′ E, 23 m, Posidonia oceanica, one specimen; ESFM-POL / 2011- 36, 1 September 2011, Aegean Sea, Kusadasi Bay, station 36, 37 ◦ 52 ′ 18 ′′ N, 27 ◦ 13 ′ 00 ′′ E, 55 m, mud, one specimen; ESFM-POL / 2011-92, 30 August 2011, Aegean Sea, Çesme, station 28, 38 ◦ 23 ′ 56 ′′ N, 26 ◦ 22 ′ 51 ′′ E, 65 m, mud, one specimen; ESFM-POL / 2011-62, 27 August 2011, Aegean Sea, Edremit Bay, station 11, 39 ◦ 33 ′ 11 ′′ N, 26 ◦ 54 ′ 04 ′′ E, 38 m, mud, two specimens; ESFM-POL / 2011-148, 2 September 2011, Aegean Sea, Güllük, station 43, 37 ◦ 14 ′ 54 ′′ N, 27 ◦ 29 ′ 30 ′′ E, 39 m, sand, one specimen.
Description
Holotype incomplete, 12 mm long, 0.7 mm wide, with 39 chaetigers. Body large, ovoid in transversal section, pale brownish; dark brown-greenish areas on anterior part of prostomium and lateral sides of palps (Figures 6A, 7A, 10B); amber-coloured inclusions near base of dorsal and ventral cirri, particularly on middle and posterior parapodia; brownish-green spots near bases of dorsal cirri present between chaetiger 12 and posterior-most chaetiger; brownish-green spots near bases of ventral cirri present between chaetiger 4 and middle chaetigers; brownish-green granules present in dorsal cirri and parapodial ligules between chaetiger 4 and posterior-most chaetiger. Prostomium pentagonal, carrying two pairs of eyes in trapezoidal arrangement; anterior pair crescent-shaped; posterior pair almost spherical; anterior pair larger than posterior ones; eyes not discernable in most specimens (Figures 6A,B, 7A, 10B,C). Palps thick, somewhat cylindrical, each with large papilliform palpostyle (Figures 6A, 7A). Antennae digitiform, almost as long as palps. Peristomium almost as long as subsequent chaetigers, with four pairs of tentacular cirri of unequal lengths, slender and tapering; ventral-most pairs short, reaching middle part of chaetiger 1; dorsal-most pairs broken in holotype; reaching back to chaetiger 25 in paratype (Figure 6A,B). Proboscis with a pair of brownish jaws; inner margin with eight or nine coarse teeth (Figure 10E). Paragnaths on maxillary ring, with pointed, re-curved tip; papillae on oral rings conical, partly sclerotized at tip; Area I, 1 cone; II, 6 cones in a subtriangular cluster on each side; III, 18 cones in an oblong cluster; IV, 13–14 cones in a subtriangular cluster on each side; V, none; VI, one compressed papilla on each side with tips surrounded by light brown region (partly sclerotized); VII–VIII, almost 70 partly sclerotized papillae in three regular rows (Figures 7B, 10A).
Parapodia of first two chaetigers uniramous, subsequent ones biramous. Parapodia 1, without notochaetae, with dorsal notopodial ligule, neuropodial prechaetal acicular ligule, neuropodial postchaetal ligule and ventral neuropodial ligule (Figure 8A). Dorsal notopodial ligule conical. Neuropodial prechaetal acicular ligule conical, distinctly smaller than postchaetal ligule. Ventral neuropodial ligule as long as dorsal notopodial ligule. Dorsal cirrus swollen at base, slender, tapering, shorter than dorsal notopodial ligule. Ventral cirrus slender, slightly swollen at base, shorter than parapodial ligules and dorsal cirrus (Figure 8A).
Parapodia 8 biramous, with dorsal notopodial ligule, notopodial supra-acicular ligule, notopodial infra-acicular ligule, neuropodial prechaetal acicular ligule, neuropodial postchaetal acicular ligule, ventral neuropodial ligule (Figure 8B). Dorsal notopodial ligule conical, slightly shorter than notopodial infra-acicular lobe, with dense brownish-green glandular region. Notopodial supra-acicular ligule, projecting dorsolaterally, distinctly smaller than infra-acicular ligule, conical. Notopodial infra-acicular ligule conical, larger than other ligules. Neuropodial prechaetal acicular ligule large, conical. Neuropodial postchaetal acicular ligule slender, conical, projecting dorsolaterally, slightly longer than neuropodial prechaetal acicular ligule (Figure 8B). Ventral neuropodial ligule conical, longer than neuropodial prechaetal acicular ligule. Dorsal cirrus slender, distinctly shorter than dorsal notopodial ligule; with large, spherical brownish-green glandular spot near base (Figure 8B). Ventral cirrus slender, as long as dorsal cirrus, but thinner than dorsal one; with large, spherical brownish-green glandular spot near base (Figures 8B, 10D).
Parapodia 32, with dorsal notopodial ligule, notopodial infra-acicular ligule, neuropodial prechaetal acicular ligule, ventral neuropodial ligule (Figure 8C). Dorsal notopodial ligule conical, slightly as long as notopodial infra-acicular lobe, with dense brownish-green glandular region. Notopodial supra-acicular ligule absent. Notopodial infra-acicular ligule conical, with dense brownish-green glandular region. Neuropodial prechaetal acicular ligule large, conical. Neuropodial postchaetal acicular ligule absent. Ventral neuropodial ligule conical, shorter than neuropodial prechaetal acicular ligule. Dorsal cirrus slender, distinctly shorter than dorsal notopodial ligule; with large, spherical brownish-green glandular spot near base (Figure 8C). Ventral cirrus slender, slightly shorter and thinner than dorsal cirrus.
Parapodia 60, with dorsal notopodial ligule, notopodial infra-acicular ligule, neuropodial prechaetal acicular ligule, ventral neuropodial ligule (Figure 8D). Dorsal notopodial ligule conical, shorter than notopodial infra-acicular lobe, with dense brownish-green glandular region. Notopodial supra-acicular ligule absent. Notopodial infra-acicular ligule conical, with dense brownish-green glandular region, larger than other ligules. Neuropodial prechaetal acicular ligule large, conical. Neuropodial postchaetal acicular ligule absent. Ventral neuropodial ligule conical, shorter than neuropodial prechaetal acicular ligule.
Dorsal cirrus slender, longer than that in anterior region, slightly shorter than dorsal notopodial ligule; with large, spherical brownish-green glandular spot near base. Ventral cirrus slender, slightly shorter and thinner than dorsal cirrus (Figure 8D).
Notopodial supra-acicular ligule present between chaetigers 5 and 27. Neuropodial postchaetal acicular ligule present between chaetigers 1 and 14.
Notopodia of chaetiger 1 with four homogomph spinigers and three homogomph falcigers. Spinigers with slender blade maximally measuring 100 µm; cutting edge distinctly serrated (Figure 9F). Falcigers with blade of 24–28 µm; cutting edge coarsely serrated with straight, enlarged terminal projection; two or three subdistal spines coarser than other spines (Figure 9A). Shafts of chaetae with circular fringe of slender teeth. Notopodia of chaetiger 8 with two homogomph falcigers (blade 40 µm long) (Figure 9D) and five homogomph spinigers (blade 65–100 µm long) (Figure 5G). Neuropodia of chaetiger 8 with six homogomph spinigers and 10 falcigers; blade of spiniger max. 120 µm long (Figure 9H); blades of falcigers 28 (in infra-acicular fascicle) to 42 µm (in supra-acicular fascicle) long (Figures 9B,C, 10F). Notopodial falcigers only present between chaetigers 1 and 10. Notopodia after chaetiger 10 with only spinigers. Notopodia of chaetiger 32 with four homogomph spinigers; blades max. 137 µm long. Neuropodia of chaetiger 32 with seven homogomph spinigers (blade max. 250 µm long) and eight falcigers (blades 30–37.5 µm long). Notopodia of chaetiger 60 with three homogomph spinigers (blade max. 105 µm long). Neuropodia of chaetiger 60 with seven homogomph spinigers (blade max. 205 µm long) and one falciger (blade 32.5 µm long) (Figure 9E). Neuropodial falcigers present in all parapodia throughout body.
Pygidium with brownish glandular area dorsally, having two long anal cirri, extending back to 12 posterior chaetigers.
Remarks
The genus Leonnates Kinberg 1865 includes nine species worldwide: L. crinitus Hutchings and Reid, 1991, L. crosnieri Leon-Gonzalez and Salazar-Vallejo, 2003, L. decipiens Fauvel, 1929, L. indicus Kinberg, 1866, L. nierstraszi Horst, 1924, L. nipponicus Imajima, 1972, L. persicus Wesenberg-Lund, 1949, L. simplex Monro, 1939 and L. stephensoni Rullier, 1965 (Qiu and Qian, 2000). Leonnates insolitus Gravier and Dantan, 1934 was considered as indeterminable by Qiu and Qian (2000).
Leonnates aylaoberi sp. nov. has jaws similar to L. nierstraszi and L. simplex with a dentate cutting edge (with six to eight teeth), the other species of Leonnates have smooth jaws. However, L. aylaoberi sp. nov. mainly differs from L. nierstraszi and L. simplex in having one large papilla in Area VI, whereas L. nierstraszi and L. simplex have four to six and many minute papillae on Area VI, respectively.
Leonnates aylaoberi sp. nov. is similar to L. decipiens and L. crinitus in the morphology of falciger blades but is easily distinguished from them by the presence of three rows of paragnaths in Area VII–VIII (one row in L. decipiens and L. crinitus). In addition, L. aylaoberi sp. nov. has homogomph falcigers and spinigers on notopodia of chaetigers 3–10, whereas all notopodia of L. decipiens and L. crinitus possess only homogomph spinigers. The length of the dorsal-most tentacular cirri is also another distinctive character; extending back to chaetiger 25 in L. aylaoberi sp. nov. versus maximally reaching back to chaetiger 8 in L. decipiens and L. crinitus. The other significant differences between L. aylaoberi sp. nov., and L. decipiens and L. crinitus are 1) the size of the notopodial supra-acicular ligule; distinctly smaller than the notopodial infra-acicular ligule in L. aylaoberi sp. nov. versus as long as the notopodial infra-acicular ligule in anterior parapodia of L. decipiens and L. crinitus, 2) the morphology of jaws; inner margin with eight or nine coarse teeth in L. aylaoberi sp. nov. versus smooth in L. decipiens and L. crinitus, 3) the length of ventral neuropodial ligule; shorter than neuropodial acicular ligules in L. aylaoberi sp. nov. versus much longer than neuropodial acicular ligules in L. decipiens and L. crinitus, 4) the morphology of shafts of falcigers; homogomph in L. aylaoberi sp. nov. versus heterogomph in L. decipiens and L. crinitus.
Etymology
This species is named in honour of the late Prof. Dr. Ayla Öber (1945–2012), who was our much-loved teacher and made a valued contribution to marine biological studies (anatomy of tunicates) in Turkey.
Distribution
Levantine Sea, Aegean Sea and Sea of Marmara, between 23 and 65 m depths.
description: Published as part of Çinar, Melih Ertan & Dagli, Ertan, 2013, Polychaetes (Annelida: Polychaeta) from the Aegean and Levantine coasts of Turkey, with descriptions of two new species, pp. 911-947 in Journal of Natural History 47 (13 - 14) on pages 933-941, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2012.752543, http://zenodo.org/record/4631077