Berkeleyia condoriensis Blake & Ravara, 2025

Berkeleyia condoriensis Blake & Ravara , new species urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:

Figures 1–2

Berkeleyia sp. A . Bongiorni et al. 2013: 10.

Material examined. North Atlantic Ocean, Condor Seamount, off Faial Island, Azores, coll. Jul 2010, R/ V Noruega, USNEL 0.25-m 2 box core, Site 4, South Flank, 38.53966°N, 29.10116°W, 1006 m, Rep. 2, holotype (MCZ IZ 172989 ) GoogleMaps , 2 spms ( DBUA 3538.01 View Materials ) ; Rep. 3, 3 paratypes (MCZ IZ 172990 ) , 5 spms ( DBUA 3538.02 View Materials ) .

Description. A moderately sized species, all specimens incomplete. Body generally cylindrical in cross section throughout; setigers 1–4 longest, then all segments consistently short to end of body. Holotype (MCZ IZ 0172989) with 28 setigers, posterior setigers coiled, 7.1 mm long as stretched out, 0.5 mm wide across setiger 6; largest paratype (MCZ IZ 172990) with 25 setigers, 7.4 mm long, 0.8 mm wide. Posterior end missing on all specimens. Color in alcohol: light tan without pigment.

Pre-setiger region triangular, about as long as first two setigers (Fig. 1A–B, 2A). Prostomium narrow, tapering anteriorly to pointed tip, posteriorly merging indistinctly with peristomium; eyes absent; nuchal organs not observed. Peristomium a single smooth ring dorsally (Fig. 1A, 2A); ventrally with mouth bordered by a pair of anterior lips and a curved crenulated posterior lip (F ig. 1B); largest paratype with oblong proboscis everted ( Fig. 2B View FIGURE 2 ).

Thoracic segments include first 11–12 setigers, with short cirriform notopodial postsetal lobes from setiger 5 (Fig. 1A), these gradually increasing in length over subsequent setigers becoming elongate and fingerlike in anterior abdominal setigers(Fig. 1A) and continuing throughout;neuropodia similar to notopodia with short cirriform postsetal lobe from setiger 6 (Fig. 1B); most thoracic setigers with lateral parapodia, shifting dorsally by about setigers 9–10 (Fig. 1A). Abdominal parapodia shifted dorsally and identified by appearance of prolonged neuropodium bearing short ventral cirrus (Figs 1A, C, 2C); notopodia rounded lobes bearing elongate postsetal lobe (Figs 1A, 2C); subpodial lobes absent. Branchiae from setigers 11–12 or transition from thoracic to abdominal setigers, continuing to near posterior end; branchiae short, rounded apically (Figs 1A, 2C). Anterior dorsal segmental border of branchialbearing setigers with a pair of minute papillate dorsal organs (Fig. 1A [arrows], 2C–D [arrows]).

Setae include crenulated capillaries, furcate setae, and narrow neuropodial acicular spines (Fig. 1C–G). Thoracic noto- and neuropodial setae with long, crenulated capillaries with up to 25 setae in dense bundle, reduced in number over last 2–3 thoracic setigers; furcate setae first appearing among capillaries of setigers 12–13 or last thoracic setigers in both noto- and neuropodia. Abdominal notopodia with 2–3 crenulated capillaries and 1–2 furcate setae; abdominal neuropodia with furcate setae, a few crenulated capillaries and 1–2 narrow acicular spines. Furcate seta with long shafts and two short blunt-tipped tynes, each tyne with fine needles forming a web between tynes (Fig. 1C, G). Spines only weakly curved, with narrow blunt tip (Fig 1C–F).

Pygidium unknown.

Remarks. Berkeleyia condoriensis sp. nov. is the seventh species of the genus to be described ( Table 1). The new species is most similar to B. abyssala Blake, 2017 and B. weddellia Blake, 2017 , both from deep-water in Antarctic seas, in having a triangular-shaped pre-setiger region consisting of a short pointed prostomium merged almost indistinctly with the peristomium. Berkeleyia abyssala has the change from thorax to abdomen at setigers 10–11, branchiae from setigers 9–10, and furcate setae from setigers 9–10; in B. weddellia the thorax/abdominal change is at setiger 8, branchiae start on setiger 18 and furcate setae on setiger 9. In contrast, in B. condoriensis sp. nov. the thorax/abdominal change is at setigers 11–12, branchiae start on setigers 11–12 and furcate setae on setigers 12–13. The minute paired papillate dorsal organs on the anterior segmental border anterior to the branchiae in B. condoriensis sp. nov. have not been observed on other species of the genus.

Biology. Apart from Berkeleyia heroae Blake, 2017 from intertidal and shallow subtidal depths off Argentina, the other six species are all from deep water of 1000 m or greater. The new species, B. condoriensis sp. nov., is the first species of the genus to be reported from the North Atlantic Ocean and from a seamount.

Etymology. This species is named for its locality on the Condor Seamount off the Faial Island, Azores.

Distribution. NE Atlantic Ocean, Condor Seamount, off the Faial Island, Azores archipelago, 1006 m.

FIGURE 1. Berkeleyia condoriensis sp. nov. A, anterior end, dorsal view; B, anterior end, ventral view; C, abdominal neuropodium, setiger 18, anterior view; D, E, F, neuropodial acicular spines; G, furcate seta. A, holotype ( MCZ IZ 172989); B – G, paratype ( MCZ IZ 172990). Abbreviations: br, branchiae; mo, mouth; per, peristomium; pr, prostomium; vC, ventral cirrus. Arrows denote medial dorsal organs.