Paramphitrite dragovabeci Lavesque & Daffe & Londoño-Mesa & Hutchings 2021, n. sp.

Paramphitrite dragovabeci n. sp.

Figures 16 and 17

Material examined. Holotype. MNHN-IA-TYPE 2029, posteriorly incomplete, Northeastern Atlantic Ocean, Brittany, Bay of Brest, Camaret, 48°17’48”N 4°34’59”W, depth 15 m, October 2016. Paratype. MNHN-IA-TYPE 2030, posteriorly incomplete, Northeastern Atlantic Ocean, Brittany, Bay of Brest, Camaret, 48°17’48”N 4°34’59”W, depth 15 m, October 2016, mounted for SEM.

Description. Holotype posteriorly incomplete with 22 segments, 17.3 mm long (9.9 mm) and 1.2 mm wide (1.4 mm).

Transverse prostomium attached to dorsal surface of upper lip; basal part with eyespots regularly arranged in short lateral rows (Fig. 16C). Buccal tentacles thick and grooved (Figs 16B–D; 17A). Peristomium forming lips; upper lip broad, rounded, hood-like, with dorsal surface distinctly annulated; pharyngeal organ everted, followed by a small, rounded lower lip, restricted to mouth (Fig. 16A–D).

Well-developed ventral lobe on SG I, developed lateral lobes on SG II–IV, lobes from SG II connected by a ventral crest. Ten ventral shields present on SG III to SG XIII (Figs 16A–D; 17A–C).

Two pairs of dichotomous branchiae, on SG II–III, each situated dorso-laterally, with wide medial gap; branchial filaments annulated, arising from short stems; filaments of the first pair longer (Figs 16A–C; 17A–C).

Notopodia on SG IV–SG XVI (n=13), inserted progressively more laterally (Figs 16A–B; 17A); notopodia small, almost rectangular, distally rounded. Notochaetae arranged in two rows, with first row shorter. Notochaetae almost straight, medially winged with limbs of same width, and distally serrated (Fig. 16E–F).

Neuropodia from SG V, as fleshy lateral ridges until SG XIV, slightly raised from SG XV and displaced more ventrally. Uncini in double rows from SG XI–SG XX, in a face-to-face arrangement. Uncini avicular, with triangular heel, distally pointed prow downwardly directed, short dorsal button inserted closer to the base of main fang than to tip of the prow, convex base, and main fang surmounted by crest with six rows of secondary teeth (Figs 16G–H; 17D).

Nephridial and genital papillae present on SG III and SG VI–VIII; nephridial papillae on SG III large and elongate, situated laterally at branchial base (Fig. 16A); genital papillae situated laterally below notopodia and slightly posteriorly to neuropodia on SG VI–VIII.

Pygidium unknown.

Etymology. This species is dedicated to the Yugoslav football player Drago Vabec, legend of the “Stade Brestois” Football Club from 1979 to 1983. This species name was proposed by Jacques Grall (IUEM laboratory— Brest), who collected the type material and who is a great fan of both this club and this player.

Habitat. Shallow waters (depth 15 m), in maërl (rhodolith) beds.

Type locality. Bay of Brest (Camaret), Bay of Biscay, Northeastern Atlantic Ocean, France. 48°17’48”N 4°34’59”W.

Distribution. Only known from the type locality.

Remarks. Two species of Paramphitrite are known to occur in the European waters: P. birulai Ssolowiew, 1899 and P. tetrabranchia Holthe, 1976. This last species was recently synomymised with P. birulai by Jirkov (2020) but Holthe had already doubts about its status earlier (Holthe 1986).

Branchiae of P. dragovabeci n. sp. are separated by a wide medial gap while those of P. birulai are relatively close (Loia et al. 2017: fig. 3b; Jirkov 2020: fig. 4c). Paramphitrite dragovabeci n. sp. differs by the presence of well-developed lateral lobes on SG II–IV which are small for P. birulai, and by the absence of nephridial papillae on SG IV which are present for P. birulai (Jirkov 2020). Finally, based on the figure 4A from Jirkov’ paper (2020), the shape of the large elongate nephridial papillae of SG III of P. dragovabeci n. sp. seems different but this character was not described either by Loia et al. (2017) nor by Jirkov (2020). According to Jirkov (2020), P. birulai has pectinate branchiae while specimens of P. dragovabeci n. sp. described herein have dichotomous ones. However, based on Jirkov’s fig. 4A, the branchiae are clearly not pectinate (as in Eunicidae for example) but with filaments arising from a main stem (as also written by the author).

French specimens are similar to Spanish ones studied by Parapar et al. (1991). Indeed, Spanish specimens have a wide gap between branchiae and well-developed lateral lobes on SG II–IV. Unfortunately, no information about nephridial papillae appear in this paper. They were sampled in the same geographical area, the Bay of Biscay. We suspect that Spanish and French specimens belong to a single species: P. dragovabeci n. sp. Finally, the wide distribution of P. birulai, from the High Arctic Sea to the Mediterranean Sea (Loia et al. 2017; Jirkov 2020), seems doubtful, given the very different environmental conditions. Loia et al. (2017) proposed that this species was introduced in the Adriatic Sea, but molecular comparisons are necessary to confirm it, as several cryptic species probably occur in Europe, but also to confirm if P. birulai has such a wide distribution and if the Spanish specimens actually belong to P. dragovabeci n. sp.

Paramphitrite pauciseta (Day, 1963), described from South Africa, differs from P. dragovabeci n. sp. by the presence of small (and not obvious) lateral lobes on SG II-IV, by branchiae which are not dichotomous and which consist of a tuft of stout filaments and by the presence of characteristic reddish subdermal spots at the base of each branchia (but these spots probably disappear after fixation and storage in alcohol).