Spionidae (Annelida: Polychaeta) from the Capbreton Canyon (Bay of Biscay, NE Atlantic) with descriptions of a new genus and three new species

Abstract

Eleven species of spionid polychaetes were collected from bathyal depths (492–1113 m) of the Capbreton Canyon, Bay of Biscay, NE Atlantic: Aurospio dibranchiata Maciolek, Prionospio cirrifera Wiren, P. dubia Day, P. ehlersi Fauvel, P. fauchaldi Maciolek, Scolelepis sp. A, Spiophanes kroeyeri Grube, S. wigleyi Pettibone, Laonice junoyi, new species, L. maciolekae, new species, and Spiogalea vieitezi new genus and species, described herein. L. junoyi, collected at one station at a depth of 984–1029 m, is characterized by the unusual structure formed by the caruncle and the nuchal organs. L. maciolekae, collected at depths between 492 and 1040 m, is related to Laonice species with multiple rows of capillaries on the parapodia of anterior chaetigers (L. appelloefi Söderstrom, L. blakei Sikorski and Jirkov, L. weddellia Hartman, L. nuchala Blake and L. norgensis Sikorski). The main characters of Spiogalea vieitezi are the presence of two chitinous plates surrounding the anterior part of the prostomium (this character separates the new genus from all known genera and species of the family Spionidae) and, as in the genera Spiophanella and Spiophanes, the absence of branchiae. The two specimens of Spiogalea were collected at a depth of 1000 m.

Keywords:

• Polychaeta
• Spionidae
• Spiogalea
• new genus
• Laonice
• new species
• Bay of Biscay
• NE Atlantic

Thanks are due to the Département de Géologie et Océanographie (Talence, France), to the Laboratoire de Biologie des Invertébrés Marins et Malacologie – MNHN (Paris) and to the French Comité Interrégional Manche Atlantique – CNRS for the loan of sampling equipment and logistical support, to the crew of the R/V Côte d′Aquitaine for their valuable assistance at sea, to A. Urzelai, I. Esteban and I. Zabala (INSUB, San Sebastián) for their helpful contribution to the sorting of Capbreton samples.

Thanks are also due to Drs N. J. Maciolek and J. A. Blake for their valuable comments and critical review of the manuscript; to Dr J. Junoy (Universidad de Alcalá) for the scanning electron microscopic photographs; Dr G. San Martín (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid) for providing literature.

This French-Spanish co-operative research programme was partly supported by the French Comité Interrégional Manche Atlantique – CNRS (1988–89 CAPBRETON cruises).

Special thanks to Dr Jean Claude Sorbe, director of the Capbreton research program.

Notes

Published in collaboration with the University of Bergen and the Institute of Marine Research, Norway, and the Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Copenhagen, Denmark