Paraehlersia martapolae Fukuda, Centurión, Nogueira & Martín, 2012, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Fukuda, Marcelo Veronesi
name: Centurión, Romina
name: Nogueira, João Miguel De Matos
name: Martín, Guillermo San
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Annelida
Polychaeta
Phyllodocida
Syllidae
Paraehlersia
Paraehlersia martapolae

description: Paraehlersia martapolae sp. nov.
Figures 4–6; Table 3
Material examined. Brazil, State of Rio de Janeiro, offshore: 1 spec. (MZUSP 0 0 978, paratype 3), coll. 2 Mar 1998, 21°51’S 40°07’W, 110 m; 1 spec. (ZUEC-POL 9696), coll. 2 Mar 1998, 22°02’S 40°05’W, 93 m; 1 spec. (MZUSP 00979), coll. 28 Feb 1998, 23°20’S 41°22’W, 110 m; 1 spec. (ZUEC-POL 9699), coll. 14 Feb 1998, 24°11’S 43°26’W, 330 m. State of São Paulo, offshore: 2 specs (MNCN 16.01/13610, paratype 4; MZUSP 0 1005, paratype 5), coll. 11 Jan 1998, 24°07’S 44°42’W, 101 m; 10 specs (MZUSP 0 0 977, holotype; MZUSP 0 1004, paratype 1; MNCN 16.01/13609, paratype 2; ZUEC-POL 9697, paratype 6; MZUSP 00980), coll. 9 Jan 1998, 24°07’S 45°51’W, 147 m. State of Paraná, offshore: 1 spec. (ZUEC-POL 9700), coll. 17 Mar 1998, 28º40’S 47º25’W, 285 m. State of Santa Catarina, offshore: 1 spec. (MZUSP 00981), coll. 22 Mar 1998, 28º41’S 48º18’W, 104 m; 1 spec. (ZUEC-POL 9698), coll. 22 Mar 1998, 28º53’S 47º48’W, 225 m.
Type series. Data on each specimen of the type series are provided in Table 3.
Comparative material examined. Paraehlersia weissmannioides (Augener, 1913). Australia, Western Australia, Shark Bay, Useless Inlet: 1 spec. (ZMH V- 7949, holotype) coll. Michaelsen, 26°08´S 113°21´E, 7 m.
Description. Holotype (MZUSP 00977) largest specimen, complete, with 65 chaetigers, 4.72 mm long, 0.23 mm wide (Table 3); body without colour patterns (Fig. 4 A); peristomium and chaetigers throughout with 1–2 tranverse rows of cilia dorsally extending to near bases of dorsal cirri (Fig. 5 A–B). Palps triangular, longer than prostomium (Figs. 4 A; 5A–C), occasionally with tips ventrally bent. Prostomium oval, 2 pairs of eyes in open trapezoidal arrangement and 1 pair of anterior eyespots (Fig. 4 A); median antenna inserted between posterior pair of eyes, almost twice as long as prostomium and palps together, with up to 20 articles distally; lateral antennae inserted in front of anterior pair of eyes, similar to median antenna but about two thirds as long, with up to 15 articles distally (Figs. 4 A; 5A–B). Nuchal organs as 1 pair of dorso-lateral ciliary bands posterior to insertion of median antenna (Fig. 5 A–B). Peristomium dorsally shorter than chaetigers, frequently covering nuchal organs (Fig. 5 A–B); dorsal peristomial cirri about as long as lateral antennae or slightly shorter, sometimes irregularly articulated distally; ventral peristomial cirri about two thirds length of dorsal peristomial cirri, usually smooth (Fig. 4 A). Dorsal cirri with nearly inconspicuous alternation in length along body, longer cirri approximately as long as body width, shorter cirri about two thirds to half length of longer cirri (Fig. 4 A). Antennae, peristomial and dorsal cirri with short cirrophores (Fig. 5 A–D); ovate to digitiform ventral cirri, shorter than parapodial lobes on anterior body (Fig. 5 C), progressively slightly longer, about as long as parapodial lobes from midbody (Fig. 4 A). Anterior parapodia with small, rounded subcirral papilla underneath each dorsal cirrus (Fig. 5 D); parapodial lobes conical (Figs. 4 A; 5A–B). Anterior parapodia with 2–4 spiniger-like chaetae and 10–15 falcigers each, 1–3 spiniger-like chaetae and 5–7 falcigers on midbody parapodia, 0–1 spiniger-like chaetae and 3–6 falcigers on each posterior parapodium (Table 3). Spiniger-like chaetae with thin shafts, progressively slightly thinner towards posterior body (Figs. 4 B–C; 6A); elongate, slender blades, bidentate with both teeth minute, subdistal tooth smaller than distal tooth, with short spines on margin (Fig. 4 B–C), 77–35 μm long on anterior body, 82–37 μm long on midbody, 75–22 μm long on posterior body, spiniger-like chaetae absent on last chaetigers (Table 3). Falcigers with subdistally slightly spinulated shafts, tips of shafts with slightly more sigmoid distal beaks towards posterior body; bidentate blades with subdistal tooth smaller than distal one on anterior body (Fig. 4 D), distal tooth progressively slightly smaller and subdistal tooth progressively stouter towards posterior body (Figs. 4 D–F; 6A–D); blades with short, thin spines on margin (Figs. 4 D–F; 6A–D); blades 32–12 μm long on anterior body, 17–7 μm long on midbody, 15–8 μm long on posterior body (Table 3). Dorsal simple chaetae present from midbody (Table 3), sigmoid, distally irregularly rounded, with short and coarse subdistal spines (Figs. 4 G; 6E). Ventral simple chaetae on posterior segments only (Table 3), sigmoid, bidentate with distal tooth smaller than subdistal one, with short subdistal spines (Figs. 4 H; 6F). Anterior parapodia with up to 2 aciculae each, subdistally bent at almost right angle, sometimes apparently flattened at top (Fig. 4 I); single acicula per parapodium from midbody, similar to anterior ones, but more conspicuously bent (Fig. 4 J). Pygidium with 2 long, thin anal cirri and conical median papilla. Pharynx through 9–12 segments (Table 3), with crown of 13 papillae surrounding its opening and conical central tooth close to anterior margin (Fig. 4 A; 5B–C); proventricle through 5–6.5 segments, with 21–24 muscle-cell rows (Fig. 4 A; Table 3).
Remarks. Paraehlersia martapolae sp. nov., is characterized by having dorsal simple chaetae distally irregularly rounded, with short and coarse subdistal spines, which does not occur in any other species of Paraehlersia (Table 2). Paraehlersia weissmannioides (Augener, 1913), from Australia, has relatively similar dorsal simple chaetae, but has compound and ventral simple chaetae with subdistal aristae extending beyond the level of subdistal tooth, as well as aciculae of three types: straight, distally rounded and with oblique tip (San Martín & Hutchings 2006), instead of compound and ventral simple chaetae with progressively shorter marginal spines towards tip, without subdistal aristae, and aciculae subdistally bent almost at right angle as in P. martapolae sp. nov.
The absence of dorsal simple chaetae in anterior fragments often difficults the identification of Paraehlersia species, and this is particularly true for the distinction between P. longichaetosa sp. nov., and P. martapolae sp. nov. In addition to the morphology of dorsal simple chaetae, P. longichaetosa sp. nov., and P. m a r ta p ol a e sp. nov., differ because the latter has blades of spiniger-like chaetae more distinctly bidentate (Figs. 1 B–D vs. 4B–C) and blades of anterior body falcigers with subdistal tooth smaller than distal tooth, sometimes resembling an enlarged spine (Fig. 4 D), aciculae apparently flattened at the top (Fig. 4 I–J), and longer pharynx and shorter proventricle. In contrast, P. longichaetosa sp. nov., has blades of anterior body falcigers with both teeth similar (Figs. 1 B; 3A, C); aciculae distally enlarged, sometimes apparently hollow (Fig. 1 G–I), and a shorter pharynx and longer proventricle (see Tables 1 and 3).
Etymology. This species is named after Dr Marta Pola, colleague and friend of the last author in the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, well known specialist in nudibranchs.
description: Published as part of Fukuda, Marcelo Veronesi, Centurión, Romina, Nogueira, João Miguel De Matos & Martín, Guillermo San, 2012, Two new species of Paraehlersia San Martín, 2003 (Polychaeta, Syllidae) from the Atlantic Coast of South America, pp. 38-52 in Zootaxa 3264 on pages 46-51, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.280733