A Review of the Genus Eunice - Smithsonian Institution Libraries

62 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ZOOLOGY
sexual dimorphism. One of the two specimens is of indeterminate
sex; there is little evidence in the rest of the group that
sexual dimorphism is present and the two specimens differ in
most features used to characterize separate species. They are, as
indicated above, considered as such here.
14. Eunice aphroditois (Pallas, 1788)
FIGURE 13a-d; TABLES 27,28
Nereis aphroditois Pallas, 1788:229-230, pi. 5: figs. 1-7.
Eunice aphroditois.—Cuvier, 1817:525.—Ehlers. 1868:306-310, pi. 15: figs.
23-29.—Fauvel, 1917:215-220, fig. 18 [in part], pi. 7.
Leodice gigantea Lamarck, 1818:322.—Savigny, 1820:49-50.
MATERIAL EXAMINED.—MNHN, Paris, La Reunion, Indian
Ocean, coll. M. Carriere, 1910.
COMMENTS ON MATERIAL EXAMINED.—The type material is
lost; it came from Sri Lanka; the specimen here described
matches the original description closely.
DESCRIPTION.—Specimen posteriorly incomplete, of unknown
sex; with 529 setigers; total length 800 mm; maximal
width 22 mm at setiger 25; length through setigcr 10, 55 mm.
Body cylindrical anteriorly, becoming dorsoventrally flattened
by setiger 200, but retaining about same width through setiger
400, tapering from setiger 400 setiger to -10 mm in width at
incomplete posterior end.
Prostomium very short, distinctly narrower than peristomium,
withdrawn inside nuchal fold, less than x /i as deep as
peristomium. Prostomial lobes frontally rounded, dorsally
inflated; median sulcus shallow. Eyes not observed. Antennae
arranged in a horseshoe, evenly spaced, similar in thickness.
Ceratophores ring-shaped in all antennae, without articulations.
Ceratostyles thick, digitiform, tapering slightly, without articulations.
Antennae to middle of peristomium; right A-II longest,
to middle of posterior peristomial ring. Peristomium massive,
cylindrical, about twice as wide as prostomium. Separation
between rings distinct dorsally and ventrally; anterior ring 4 /5 of
total peristomial length. Peristomial cirri to middle of first
peristomial ring, thick, slightly inflated basally, without
articulations.
Jaws not examined.
Branchiae (Figure 13c,d) present, pectinate, distinctly longer
than notopodial cirri, not reduced in mid-body region, erect.
Branchiae from setiger 6 to end of fragment. All branchiae
pectinate; maximum -30 filaments in setigers 30-100. Stems
thick, erect, tapering, longer than notopodial cirri through
setiger 250. Filaments slender, filiform, shorter than notopodial
cirri.
Anterior neuropodial acicular lobes truncate to rounded,
becoming triangular or slightly conical in far posterior setigers;
aciculae emerging at midline. Presetal lobes low, transverse
folds. Postsetal lobes forming a collar around acicular lobes,
about as high as acicular lobes in anterior and median setigers,
projecting beyond acicular lobes in posterior setigers. Anterior
ventral cirri thick, tapering from wide, triangular bases, not
obviously inflated through setiger 250. Ventral cirri basally
inflated in posterior half of fragment. Median and posterior
bases first scoop-shaped, becoming triangular welts in last
setigers present, retaining short, tapering tips in all setigers.
Anterior notopodial cirri basally inflated, tapering to thick lips,
becoming very large and very strongly inflated in posterior
setigers (Figure 13c), by far dominant parapodial structures in
far posterior setigers. All notopodial cirri without articulations.
Limbatc setae longer than other setae, slender, marginally
finely frayed. Pectinate setae (Figure 13a) in thick fascicles,
slender; shafts flattened. Blades tapering, gently furled.
Marginal teeth no longer than other teeth, with -15 teeth. Shafts
of compound hooks about as thick as aciculac and subacicular
hooks, tapering, marginally smooth; beak indistinct, brasscolored.
Appendages not seen. Aciculac paired, with dark
brown, rarely black cores and clear sheaths, slender, tapering,
distally pointed, usually bent dorsally at tip; cross-section
round. Subacicular hooks (Figure 13b) with medium to dark
brown cores and clear sheaths, bidentatc. Hooks first present
from setigcr 200, thereafter missing in many setigers, always
single (except for replacements). Hooks tapering to very
slender, indistinct heads. Proximal teeth larger than distal teeth;
both directed distally; both teeth indistinct.
UNKNOWN MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES.—Features associated
with far posterior setigers, pygidium, and anal cirri; jaw
structure.
EXPECTED STATE OF SELECTED UNKNOWN FEATURES.—Mx
III and IV forming distal arc; Mx VI missing.
CHARACTERS USED IN PREPARATION OF KEY NOT
SCORED.—Inappropriate Characters: 56, 60. Unknown
Characters: 1, 2, 6, 13, 14, 36-38, 40, 57-59, 69, 70.
ASSUMED STATES FOR PURPOSE OF PREPARING KEY.—37,1;
38,1; 57,1; 58,2; 59,2; 69,1; 70,2.
REMARKS.—The synonymy of this species was discussed in
the introduction. Eunice aphroditois has been widely reported
and a number of other named taxa has been synonymized with
this species. The specimen described above agrees well with
current definitions of the species; however, the description
represents a restriction of the concept of this species compared
to the definition given by Fauvel (1917:215); the species is
listed with similar species in Tables 27 and 28.
A series of species lacking articulations in the ceratostyles is
listed in Table 28; several of these are known to have simple
spine-like, relatively large subacicular hooks only; other
species have relatively small, bidentate subacicular hooks.
Included among the latter are, in addition to E. aphroditois. E.
contingens, E. djiboutiensis, E. guttata, E. investigatoris, E.
palauensis, E. polybranchia, E. roussaei, E. suviensis, and E.
rullieri. Eunice sebastiani has been reported to have both
simple falcate and bidentate subacicular hooks. Characteristic
of E. aphroditois and related taxa are the large, medially
inflated notopodial cirri; among the species listed above, such
cirri are present in E. contingens, E. roussaei, and E. rullieri.
Eunice djiboutiensis and E. sebastiani have basally inflated,
basally distinctly pendulous, notopodial cirri. Eunice aphrodi-