Podarkeopsis levifuscina Perkins 1984

Podarkeopsis levifuscina Perkins, 1984

(Fig. 7)

Podarkeopsis levifuscina Perkins, 1984: 575 –580, fig. 10; Granados-Barba & Solís-Weiss, 1997: 466 Gyptis vittata Taylor, 1971: 155 –159; Day, 1973: 25; Hall & Saloman, 1975: 11 [non Webster & Benedict, 1887] Gyptis brevipalpa Gardiner, 1976: 119 –120, figs. 8q–t, 9a [non Hartmann-Schröder, 1959]

Type material. Paratype, BMNH 1983.957 (1), 27°22'08" N, 80°13’46" W, East of F. P. and L. Electrical generating company, Florida, USA, Stn. 5, Coll. Shipek Grab., R. Gallagher., J. Cobb and C. Futch, 11.5 m depth, 1.iii.1972; paratypes, BMNH 1983.960–963 (3), 27°53'45" N, 82°37'55" W, Old Tampa Bay, Pinellas County, Florida, USA, Stn. 5, Coll. dredged, 1 m depth, sand with algae and Diplanthera, 1.vi.1963; paratypes, ZMUC Pol- 1405 (6), Safety Harbour, Tampa Bay, Florida, USA, 19.vi.1963; paratype, ZMUC Pol-1407 (1), Boca Ciega Bay, Florida, 25.ix.1963; paratypes, ZMUC Pol-1406 (2), Old Tampa Bay, Florida, 24.vii.1963; paratype, ZMUC Pol- 1404 (1), Hutchinson Island, W. Florida, USA, Sta. V EJ 73-400, v.1973; paratypes, ZMUC 1983.958-959 (2), 27°51'53" N, 82°27'48" W, Hillsborough County, Florida, USA, Sta. 9-4, depth 3 m, sand, 21.vi.1963.

Additional material. 7 specimens: MZUSP 497 (1), 23°50'44" S 45°31'36" W, off São Sebastião, SP, Sta. 105I, subtidal, 20 m depth, 14.xii.2001; MZUSP 498 (1), 23°31'39" S 45°02'21" W, off Ubatuba, SP, Sta. 127I, subtidal, depth 14 m, 21.iii.2002; MZUSP 499 (1), 23°41'42" S 45°17'39" W, off Caraguatatuba, SP, Sta. 151I, subtidal, 15 m depth, 23.v.2002; MZUSP 500 (1), 23°35'17" S 45°09'24" W, off Ubatuba, SP, Sta. 141I, subtidal, 15 m depth, 16.iv.2002; MZUSP 501 (1), 23°42'03" S 45°14'27" W, off Caraguatatuba, SP, Sta. 150I, subtidal, depth 20 m, 20.v.2002; MZUSP 502 (1), 23°56'13" S 45°17'01" W, off São Sebastião, SP, Sta. 160I, subtidal, 30 m depth, 26.vi.2002; MZUSP 503 (1), 23°24'56" S 44°51'34" W, off Ubatuba, SP, Sta. 61I, subtidal, 15 m depth, 25.viii.2001.

Redescription. Paratypes include complete (34–42 chaetigers) or incomplete specimens, one broken in three parts, 8 mm long, 0.8 mm wide, 42 chaetigers (BMNH 1983.957); one complete with 38 chaetigers and another incomplete with 32 chaetigers (BMNH 1983.958-959); one complete with 34 chaetigers (ZMUC Pol-1405); two incompletes 4.5 mm long, 0.6 mm wide, 24 chaetigers, and 2.5 mm long, 0.5 mm wide, 16 chaetigers (ZMUC Pol- 1406); one incomplete with 15 chaetigers (ZMUC Pol-1407); one incomplete 2.7 mm long, 0.4 mm wide, 19 chaetigers. Coloration yellowish, without pigmentation pattern. Body subcylindrical, wider anteriorly, tapered posteriorly.

Prostomium quadrangular, slightly wider than long. Median antenna less than half the length of lateral ones; lateral antennae inserted frontally, as large as palpi; left lateral antenna lost (BMNH 1983.960-963). Palps located outside lateral antennae; palpophore robust with 2/3 of the palp total length, palpostyle digitiform. Two pairs of coalescent eyes; anterior eyes lenticulate, located dorso-laterally near posterior prostomial margins. Nuchal organs distinct, between prostomial posterior margin and peristomium.

Pharynx short, with 10 subdistal short, conical papillae. First tentacular segment dorsally reduced. Eight pairs of long tentacular cirri; first pair dorsolateral, second pair lateral, third and fourth ones latero-ventral; largest cirri on segment 2 extending to chaetiger 8; ventral ones smaller.

Chaetigers 1–4 sub-biramous; following chaetigers biramous. Notopodia short, subtriangular from chaetiger 5. Dorsal cirri lost; cirrophores robust, not extending beyond notopodial lobes; at least three times longer than ventral cirri (BMNH 1983.960-963).

Notochaetae of three types: i) 1–3 smooth acicular, straight or slightly curved, arising from superior part of the bundle; ii) 3–5 asymmetrical furcated chaetae, with smaller tine bifid, one-fourth shorter than longer tine, in inferior position in chaetal bundles; iii) some slender capillaries, about twice as long as others, located in middle of the bundle in median to posterior chaetigers. Neuropodial lobes conical, prechaetal lobes subtriangular, postchaetal ones shorter, rounded to subtriangular. Ventral cirri conical, as long as postchaetal lobes. Neurochaetae heterogomph falcigers, bidentate, in several sizes; longer ones located medially in bundle.

Pygidium rounded; anus ventral; anal cirri filiform, one broken, the other lost.

Remarks. In the following description based on additional material from Brazil, one complete specimen was separated in two parts, 15 mm long, 1.3 mm wide, 52 chaetigers (MZUSP503), and incomplete specimens had 2.5–7.5 x 0.6–0.9 mm, 11–38 chaetigers.

Prostomium rectangular, anteriorly rounded (Fig. 7 A). Median antenna about half as long as lateral ones; lateral antennae one-third shorter than palps. Reddish lenticulate coalescent eyes.

Pharynx extending to chaetigers 4–5. Eight pairs of long tentacular cirri; the largest cirri—the fourth pair (segment 2 above)—extends to chaetiger 3; most tentacular cirri lost (Fig. 7 A).

Chaetigers 1–4 sub-biramous (Fig. 7 B), others biramous (Fig. 7 C–D). Notopodia with 1–2 aciculae. Dorsal cirri from chaetiger 5; most dorsal cirri lost; cirrophores robust; cirrostyles slender, extending beyond parapodial lobes (Fig. 7 C).

Notochaetae of three types: i) 1–3 acicular, basally striated, blunt (Fig. 7 E); ii) 4–6 asymmetrical furcates, smooth, with one tine bifid, twice as long as shorter tine, slender distally (Fig. 7 F), and iii) 1–4 (usually 1) smooth slender capillaries, longer than acicular ones (Fig. 7 G).

Neuropodial prechaetal lobes subtriangular, postchaetal ones shorter, bearing 1–2 aciculae (Fig. 7 B–D). All 20–30 neurochaetae heterogomph falcigers, bidentate, marginally serrate with tiny teeth (Fig. 6 H). Ventral cirri digitiform, easily lost, about as long as the prechaetal lobes (Fig. 7 D).

Discussion: In the original description, only two types of notochaetae (acicular and furcate) were included. Type material, however, has a third type of notochaetae—slender simple capillaries, which are almost twice as long as the others, located in median position, justifying here a redescription.

One of the incomplete paratypes (BMNH 1983.960-963), with only 8 chaetigers on left side, may be different from P. levisfuscina Perkins, 1984, because it has a rounded prostomium, as long as wide, two pairs of large eyes, the anterior eyes without lenses, and median antenna short, about half as long as the lateral ones. Podarkeopsis levifuscina differs from the other members of the genus by having furcate notochaetae with smooth shafts, and with the shorter tine distally slender and the longer distally bifid.

Distribution. North Carolina, Florida, Gulf of Mexico, Tamiahua Lagoon, Veracruz, Términos Lagoon, Campeche and Brazil (from Ubatuba to São Sebastião, SP), 10– 189 m. In Brazil, it occurs in 16.2–29.0 m, on sandy-mud, mud or sandy bottoms.