Harmothoe praeclara (Haswell 1883)

Harmothoe praeclara (Haswell, 1883)

Antinoe praeclara Haswell, 1883:290, pl. 9: figs. 1–12.

Antinoe ascidiicola Haswell, 1883:291, pl. 9: fig. 16.

Antinoe pachylepis Haswell, 1883:292.

Harmothoe spinosa.—Ehlers, 1907:5 [not Kinberg, 1856].

Harmothoe waahli.—Augener, 1913:112 [part].—Monro, 1938:614 [not Kinberg, 1856].

Harmothoe praeclara.—Augener, 1922:14, fig. 4; 1924:285 [synonymy].—Day, 1975:184 [synonymy].

Harmothoe terminoculata Monro, 1924:42, figs. 5,6.

Harmothoe impar.—Monro, 1939a:97 [part; not Johnston, 1839].

MATERIAL EXAMINED.—AUSTRALIA: Queensland: North Queensland, Thursday Island, mouth of Parramatta River, among colonies of ascidians, Haswell, collector, holotype of Antinoe ascidiicola (AMS 11280). New South Wales: Vaucluse Point near Sydney, Bottle and Glass Rocks, in sand under rocks, low tide, H. Paxton, collector, 23 Oct 1968, 4 specimens (USNM 58240). Victoria: Port Jackson, 0–9 m, HMS Alert, 4 syntypes of Harmothoe terminoculata (BMNH 1925.1.28.10–14). Port Phillip Bay, 4.5 miles SW of Picnic Point, 18 m, M/V Melita, C.F. Roper, collector, Apr 1976, 9 specimens (USNM 54148). Tasmania: Hobart, shore, British, Australian, and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition, Mar 1931, 1 specimen (BMNH 1942.3.3.1., as Harmothoe impar by Monro, 1939a). Western Australia: Swan River, Freshwater Bay, between Freemantle and Perth, sta 39, 26 May 1905 and Sharks Bay, Sunday Island, 5.5 m, sta 26, Michaelsen and Hartmeyer, collectors, 17 Jun 1905, 6 specimens (ZMH 7812, 7891; ZMHUB 5244, as H. waahli by Augener, 1913, corrected to H. praeclara by Augener, 1922, 1924). Crawley Bay, Swan River, D.L. Serventy, collector, 17 Aug 1935, 4 specimens (BMNH 1938.10.31.1-3; USNM 55014, as H. waahli by Monro, 1938).

NEW ZEALAND: Off Otago coast, 1906, Benham collection, 1 specimen (ZMH P–E 144, as Harmothoe spinosa by Ehlers, 1907).

MEASUREMENTS.—Type Material: Types of Antinoe praeclara and A. pachylepis from Port Jackson, Victoria, Australia, not located in the Australian Museum. Holotype of Antinoe ascidiicola with 38 segments, last one very small, 29 mm long, 8 mm wide with setae; no color remaining. Four syntypes of Harmothoe terminoculata all complete, with 37–39 segments, 11–18 mm long, and 4–8 mm wide with setae.

Nontype Material: Figured specimen from Otago, New Zealand (ZMH P–E 144) incomplete, with 29 segments, 14 mm long, 6 mm wide with setae. Two specimens from Freshwater Bay, Swan River (ZMHUB 5244) with 37–38 segments, 9–14 mm long, 4.5–6 mm wide. Two specimens from Crawley Bay, Swan River (BMNH 1938.10.31.1–3) with 39 segments, 19–23 mm long, 8 mm wide. One of specimens from New South Wales (USNM 58240) with 37 segments, 16 mm long, 5 mm wide, with developing eggs under elytra.

DESCRIPTION.—Elytra 15 pairs on usual segments, covering dorsum. Elytra large, oval, with fringe of lateral marginal papillae and some submarginal papillae posteriorly and laterally; surface covered with conical microtubercles except near anteromedial border, with mottled brownish pigmentation (Figure 19B; Monro, 1924, fig. 6). Dorsum brownish, with 2 transverse ciliated bands per segment (Figure 19A).

Prostomium bilobed, with distinct cephalic peaks; ceratophore of median antenna large, oval, in anterior notch, papillate style with subterminal enlargement and filamentous tip; lateral antennae with small ceratophores inserted ventrally, styles short, subulate, papillate; palps stout, tapered; anterior pair of eyes anteroventral, not visible dorsally, larger than posterior pair near posterior border; tentaculophores lateral to prostomium, each with 0–4 notosetae on inner side and pair of papillate dorsal and ventral tentacular cirri, similar to but shorter than median antenna (Figure 19A; Monro, 1924, fig. 5).

Segment 2 with first pair of elytrophores, biramous parapodia, and long ventral buccal cirri, similar to tentacular cirri (Figure 19A).

Parapodia biramous, notopodia short, rounded, with projecting acicular lobe on lower side; neuropodia with subconical presetal acicular lobe with supraacicular digitiform process and shorter rounded postsetal lobe; notosetae numerous, forming radiating bundle; neurosetae numerous, forming fan-shape bundle (Figure 19C). Notosetae slightly stouter than neurosetae, short to long, with distinct spinous rows and rather long, bare, tapered tips (Figure 19D). Upper neurosetae with longest spinous regions and small bifid tips; middle neurosetae with shortest spinous regions and distinctly bifid tips; lower neurosetae with short spinous regions and entire tips; all neurosetae with rather long, bare tips (Figure 19E). Dorsal cirri with long cylindrical cirrophores on posterior sides of notopodia, with papillate styles extending beyond neurosetae; dorsal tubercles nodular (Figure 19A). Ventral cirri short, tapering, with minute papillae (Figure 19C). Pharynx with 9 pairs of border papillae and 2 pairs of hooked jaws.

DISTRIBUTION.—South Pacific Ocean, Australia, New Zealand; low tide to 18 meters.