Pareurythoe mooreae Salazar-Vallejo and Jimi, 2025

Pareurythoe mooreae Salazar-Vallejo and Jimi sp. n.

posterior view, neurochaetae (insets: lower and upper neurochaetal tips). (G) Posterior region, dorsal view, after A. Scale bars: A = 1.5 mm; B = 0.5 mm; C = 0.2 mm; D = 30 µm; E, F = 0.1 mm; G = 0.7 mm (authors’ work).

Type material. French Polynesia. Holotype ( UF 1381 ), Society Islands : Moorea Island, in front of ( 17.48°S, 149.84°W), sand and rubble, digging and fanning, 5 December 2009, S. McPherson, coll. GoogleMaps

Diagnosis

Pareurythoe with caruncle extended along chaetigers 1–2, caruncular furrow shallow. Anterior and eyes minute, of similar size. Branchiae from chaetiger 2 with four filaments. Median segments with chaetae spurred.

Description

Holotype ( UF 1381 ) complete, pale pink, bent laterally after lateral dissection along left parapodia chaetigers 18–21 ( Figure 10 View Figure 10 (A)); left parapodium of chaetiger 16, and right parapodium of chaetiger removed for observation (kept in container); body 23.5 mm long, 2 mm wide (dorsal and ventral elongate), 45 chaetigers.

Anterior region tapered, blunt, prostomium round ( Figure 10 View Figure 10 (B)), margin continuous, anterior

JOURNAL OF NATURAL HISTORY

Caruncle sinuous, tapered, blunt, as long as first two chaetigers, reaching median area of caruncular furrow shallow. Pharynx not exposed.

Branchiae from chatiger 2; first branchiae with 2 stems and 4 filaments, following segments with number of branchial filaments to posterior chaetigers, chaetigers 42–43 with 3 filaments, 44–45 filaments only.

Parapodia biramous ( Figure 10 View Figure 10 (C)), dorsal and ventral cirri filiform, dorsal cirri markedly longer branchiae, about as long as body width, about 4 times longer than ventral cirri. Median segments notopodia protruded as a truncate cone, neuropodia round, smaller than notopodia.

Chaetae slightly damaged by fixative. Notochaetae include short tapered aciculars, medium-sized poon chaetae, and long spurred capillaries ( Figure 10 View Figure 10 (D)); neurochaetae include 5–6 spurred long and about 10 spurred chaetae with longest tine slightly falcate, pointed, rugose ( Figure 10 View Figure 10 (E)); parapodia with fewer spurred capillaries and a similar number of spurred chaetae ( Figure 8 View Figure 8 (M,F)), tines straight, slightly denticulate, especially smaller chaetae.

Posterior region tapered ( Figure 10 View Figure 10 (G)); pygidium truncate, anus terminal, anal plate minute, margin entire.

Etymology

This species is named after Dr Jenna Moore, Curator/Head of Section Annelida, Museum of Nature Germany, in recognition of her sampling efforts during many expeditions resulting in extremely preserved specimens, and for her long-term support of our research activities.

Remarks

Pareurythoe mooreae sp. n. resembles P. paulayi sp. n. because both are separated from other species branchiae from chaetiger 2 by having a very shallow caruncular furrow. These two species can be guished from each other because in P. mooreae eyes are minute, dorsal and ventral cirri are filiform neurochaetae are spurred, whereas in P. paulayi eyes are large, dorsal and ventral cirri are tapered neurochaetae are furcate.

Distribution

French Polynesia, in subtidal sandy bottoms.