Sabatieria subrotundicauda Botelho, Silva, Esteves & Fonsêca-Genevois, 2007, sp. nov.

Sabatieria subrotundicauda sp. nov. (Figure 8 and 9)

Description

Studied material: 3 males; 6 females.

Type material: Male holotype MNRJ 311; Female allotype MNRJ 312; Two male paratypes 63–64 NM LMZOO­UFPE; Five female paratypes 65–69 NM LMZOOUFPE.

Type locality: Campos Basin (Rio de Janeiro, Pernambuco, Brazil): deep­sea found in 750 m depth, siltclay sediments.

Measurements: see table 5.

TABLE 5. Measurements (μm) of Sabatieria subrotundicauda sp. nov.

Etymology: The specific name subrotundicauda refers to the tail shape which is almost rounded.

Male:

Body cylindrical. Punctated cuticle with transversal dotted lines, more evident in tail region. Lateral differentiation present, being punctations larger and more widely spaced. Somatic setae very short. Head rounded and attenuated. Six inner labial setae, six outer labial setae short and four cephalic setae very short. Amphidial fovea spiral with two and a half turns.

Buccal cavity cup­shaped. Pharynx clavate, gradually expanding towards the posterior end, but without distinct bulb. Cardia short and small. Nerve ring slender located at the middle of pharynx and anterior to secretory­excretory pore. Ventral gland is located between the end of pharynx and the beginning of intestine.

The reproductive system possesses two opposed and outstretched testes anterior one on the left and posterior one on the right side of the intestine. Four pairs of ejaculatory glands are present. Spicules paired, ventrally curved and with a projection like an arrow in the distal part; proximal end with a septum. There are several glandular cells located around the spicules. Gubernaculum small with a narrow apophisis. Seven pore­shaped precloacal supplements are present. Tail short and rounded. It presents a slightly narrow region at 2/3 of the tail. Three caudal glands are present ending in a spinneret. Two caudal setae very short.

Female:

Females are similar to males. Internal labial and external labial papilliform. Cephalic setae short. Amphidial fovea spiral with two turns and a half. Somatic setae very short. Buccal cavity cup­shaped. Pharynx clavate, gradually expanding towards the posterior end, but without distinct bulb. Cardia short, small and pearshaped. Nerve ring slender located at the middle of pharynx and anterior to secretory­excretory pore. Ventral gland situated between the end of pharynx and the beginning of intestine.

The reproductive system composed by two opposed and reflexed ovaries. Vulva present at mid­body. Tail short and rounded. Three caudal glands.Two caudal setae very short.

Relationships

Sabatieria subrotundicauda resembles Sabatieria conicauda, possessing the same body shape and conical tail. The measurements in Sabatieria subrotundicauda are higher than in S. conicauda e.g. length, cephalic setae length and spicule (L = 948–1051 µm ɗ; 1153 µm Ψ; Cs = 2.3–2.6 µm; spic= 36–37 µm ). Females of S. conicauda have ovaries outstretched. Among Sabatieria species with rounded tail or similar to S. conicauda, the presence of reflexed ovaries was observed only in the S. dorylaimopsoides but the last species differs in the presence of a thorn not discernible in Sabatieria subrotundicauda. S. lepida Vitiello, 1976 has a triangular ventral projection in the distal part of spicules and S. subrotundicauda has a hook­like projection. Tail is conical in S. subrotundicauda and conico­cylindrical in S.lepida.

S. subrotundicauda resembles to S. rotundicauda Allgén 1959 in the rounded tail. The difference is in the length (L= 3115µm) and the female have extended gonads.