Skip to main content

Ruff sea scaleworm (Sthenolepis ruffi) and solitary sea scaleworm (Neoleanira solitaria) from 3000 meters sea depth

Ruff sea scaleworm (Sthenolepis ruffi) and solitary sea scaleworm (Neoleanira solitaria) from 3000 meters sea depth

NEWS - Two marine scaleworms (Sthenolepis, Sigalionidae) from depths of 2350–3221 meters off the coast of Northern California collected as part of a long-term monitoring survey at the San Francisco Deep-Ocean Dredged Material Disposal Site and a baseline study by the US Navy off the coast of Northern California are new species.

Ruff sea scaleworm (Sthenolepis ruffi) has long palps and tentacular cirri, an upper group of neurochaetae with long blades, and a lower group of neurochaetae with non-canaliculate blades. Solitary sea scaleworm (Neoleanira solitaria) stands out among members of the genus by having simple fusiform supracicular neurochaetae in the posterior segments.

S. fimbriarum (Hartman, 1939) and S. spargens (Fauchald, 1972) are found in the Gulf of California, but the two can be easily distinguished by the size of the median antennae and auricles, the type of neurochaetae, and the elytra. S. ruffi is eyeless, has smaller auricles, long median antennae, smooth elytra without fimbriae on the edges and canaliculate blades.

S. ruffin is more closely related to S. spargens, both are eyeless and have small auricles and canaliculate blades. However, S. ruffin has long palps up to 12 segments and short tentacular cirri, five times longer than the tentacular parapodia. S. ruffi and S. spargens have been found at depths of 2350-3400 m, while S. fimbriarum at 18.2 m.

Ruffin is named after the late Robert Eugene Ruff in recognition of his many efforts in deep-sea exploration and collection of marine invertebrates, especially polychaetes. He also performed the first identification of these specimens. The species name is a noun in the genitive case.

In the Eastern Pacific, only two species are N. racemosa (Fauchald, 1972) and N. areolata (McIntosh, 1885). Both are similar to N. solitaria, in having small auricles, long median antennae and rounded boot-shaped ventral ctenidia. However, they differ in the length of the appendages of the first anterior segment, the shape of the branchiae and the type of neurochaetae.

N. solitaria differs from N. areolata in having the dorsal cirri of segment 3 longer, ¼ longer than those in N. areolata. The main feature that distinguishes N. areolata from N. solitaria and from the rest of the Neoleanira is the presence of spur-like processes at the base of the branchiae of the median and posterior regions.

N. solitaria differs from N. racemosa in having longer median and lateral antennae, and longer dorsal cirri of segment 3. N. solitaria has a longer anterior appendage, median and lateral antennae are ¼ longer than those of N. racemosa and regarding the dorsal cirri of segment 3, N. solitaria is twice as long as those of N. racemosa.

Solitaria is a Latin singular feminine adjective meaning 'solitary' or 'alone'. The only specimen of N. solitaria was found after much sampling in an area where other sigalionid species are found. The name also refers to the presence of a solitary fusiform chaeta in the neuropodia of the posterior segment, a characteristic that makes this species unique.

Original research

Christopher Cruz-Gómez & James A. Blake (2024). Description of new species of deep water Sthenolepis Willey, 1905 and NeoleaniraPettibone, 1970 (Annelida, Sigalionidae) from off Northern California, with the redescription of Sthenolepis spargens Fauchald, 1972. Zootaxa 5507 (2): 224–244, DOI:10.11646/zootaxa.5507.2.2

Dlium theDlium
Labels:

Popular Posts

Yellow garden spider (Argiope appensa)

Yellow garden spider ( Argiope appensa ) is a species of spider in Araneidae that lives on the coast to forests on islands in the western Pacific Ocean. Black and yellow females are striking and have a length of 5.1-6.4 cm including long legs, while males are brown and have a length of about 1.9 cm. A. appensa lives on cliffs in the hills at 600 m above sea level in Kewu plain to rice fields in the lowlands. They make nests at a height of 1.5 meters from the ground between teak ( Tectona grandis ), sonokeling ( Dalbergia latifolia ), sonosiso ( Dalbergia sissoo ), crown flower ( Calotropis gigantea ) and various grasses. Yellow garden spiders grow in large sizes, but are not toxic to humans. Advanced builds ball-shaped nets and most of them make stabilizers which are zigzag-shaped lines in nets made of thicker bands. This species spends more time in stationary and sits in the middle of the net with its head down to wait for insects to be entangled in fine silk thread. Unli...
Read more

Serrated pimpernel (Lindernia glandulifera)

Serrated pimpernel ( Lindernia glandulifera ) is a species of plant in the Linderniaceae family, erect, 8-9 cm long.and white roots. The stems are cylindrical or angular or curved inward. The stems green or dark red or reddish brown. The leaves are opposite, green or dark red or brown, oval or oblong, up to 3 cm long, up to 1 cm wide and serrated margins. The flowers are white and blue, 0.6-0.7 cm wide. This plant grows in colonies in karst areas, clay soils, and areas that are sometimes flooded. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Lamiales Family: Linderniaceae Genus: Lindernia All. in Auct. Syn. Meth. Stirp. Hort. Regii Taur. 3: 178 (1766) Species: Lindernia glandulifera (Blume) Backer in Onkruidfl. Jav. Suikerrietgr.: 616 (1930) VERNACULAR NAME English: Serrated pimpernel Indonesia: Tapak gergaji Java: Tapak graji Aryo Bandoro Dlium TheDlium Web: https://www.dlium.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dlium
Read more

Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum)

Rumput gajah or elephant grass or napier grass or Cenchrus purpureus ( Pennisetum purpureum ) is a plant species in Poaceae, a large and highly nutritious grass that is usually used for animal feed including cattle, goats, elephants, has resistance in the sun, has many varieties and cultivars. P. purpureum grows upright like sugar cane and is up to 5 m high, 3 cm in diameter and easy to breed. The round stems, woody and hard, covered with leaf shields and haired, have up to 20 segments to grow new shoots that will become new stems. Ribbon-shaped leaves, length 30-120 cm, width less than 3 cm, thin as paper. The upper surface is green, the lower surface is pale green, both surfaces and margins are rough by hair. A single bone in the middle, large and white. Flowers grow in long bunches and erect with a golden color, grow at the tip of the uppermost stem, the seeds will have contents when growing at an altitude of more than 1000 meters. Leaves and stems contain 19.9% dry matter, ...
Read more