The genus Haplosyllis Langerhans, 1879 (Polychaeta: Syllidae) from northeastern Brazil, with descriptions of two new species

Abstract

Two new species of Haplosyllis collected along the coast off northeastern Brazil are described. Haplosyllis amphimedonicola sp. nov. lives in close association with the sponge Amphimedon viridis and is characterized by having midbody dorsal cirri alternating long (with 3–7 articles) and short (with 1–3 articles), with long cirri not reaching half the body width. Ciliated anus dorsally and pair of smooth to irregularly articulated anal cirri; chaetae bidentate, often with eroded tips, main fang about same length or shorter than shaft width, mid-joining point straight and long, upper side of main fang with few, short denticles. Haplosyllis rosenalessoae sp. nov. is characterized by having body wall of midbody to posterior chaetigers with internal iridescent and granulose inclusions, arranged in continuous transverse rows across chaetigers, broader laterally, at base of parapodia, progressively narrower towards dorsal mid-line. Bidentate chaetae, with long and pointed main fang, about same width as shaft, slightly stouter posteriorly. Chaetae on posterior parapodia with apical teeth very close to each other, nearly unidentate at first glance, upper side of main fang smooth; 2–3 aciculae in each midbody parapodium. A table comparing all valid species of Haplosyllis is provided.

Key words:

• New species
• taxonomy
• southwestern Atlantic
• sponge symbionts

Acknowledgements

We are thankful to Marcelo Veronesi Fukuda, Orlemir Carrerette, Rudá Amorin, Rafael Brito, Carmem Alonso Samiguel and all the students of Laboratório de Invertebrados Paulo Young for their help with the collections. Special thanks to Javier Sanchez Almazan (Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales de Madrid, MNCN) for loaned material; Ênio Mattos and Phillip Lenktaitis for preparing the specimens and photographing them under the SEM; Marcelo Veronesi Fukuda (Universidade de São Paulo), Guilherme Henrique Pereira Filho (Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro), Patricia Lattig (MNCN) and another anonymous referee for reading the manuscript and providing valuable comments and suggestions.

Funding

The Project ‘Diversity of Polychaeta (Annelida) on hard substrates off the State of Paraíba, northeastern Brazil’ was funded by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnológico – CNPq (proc. 481510/2008-7) and is presently funded by Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo – FAPESP (proc. 2010/52116-4), under the name ‘Diversity of Polychaeta (Annelida) on hard substrates off northeastern Brazil, states of Paraíba and Pernambuco’. In addition, KP received a PhD fellowship from FAPESP (proc. 2009/17606-3) and JMMN received a productivity grant from CNPq.

Editorial responsibility: Danny Eibye-Jacobsen

Additional information

Funding

The Project ‘Diversity of Polychaeta (Annelida) on hard substrates off the State of Paraíba, northeastern Brazil’ was funded by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnológico – CNPq (proc. 481510/2008-7) and is presently funded by Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo – FAPESP (proc. 2010/52116-4), under the name ‘Diversity of Polychaeta (Annelida) on hard substrates off northeastern Brazil, states of Paraíba and Pernambuco’. In addition, KP received a PhD fellowship from FAPESP (proc. 2009/17606-3) and JMMN received a productivity grant from CNPq.