Leodice rubra (Grube 1856)

Eunice rubra Grube, 1856

Eunice rubra Grube, 1856:59.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.—Holotype, ZMC, St. Thomas, West Indies, coll. A.S. Örsted and H. Kröyer.

DESCRIPTION.—Holotype nearly complete with 118 setigers; length 177 mm; maximal width 3 mm; length through setiger 10, 7.5 mm.

Prostomium (Figure 98f) about as long as peristomium, distinctly narrower than peristomium, as deep as of the peristomium. Prostomial lobes forming blunt 3-sided pyramid, frontally obliquely truncate, dorsally flattened; median sulcus shallow. Palpal region marked off by shallow horizontal groove. Eyes between bases of A-I and A-II. Antennae in a horseshoe, evenly spaced, similar in thickness. Ceratophores ring-shaped in all antennae, without articulations. Ceratostyles digitiform, with up to 23 moniliform articulations in (apparently incomplete) A-III. A-I to middle of anterior peristomial ring. Longest A-II to setiger 1; incomplete A-III to setiger 3. Peristomium cylindrical. Separation between rings distinct dorsally and ventrally; anterior ring of total peristomial length. Peristomial cirri to middle of anterior peristomial ring, slender and tapering, with 10 cylindrical articulations.

Jaws not examined.

Branchiae (Figure 98i,j,s) present, pectinate, distinctly longer than notopodial cirri, not reduced in mid-body region, erect. Branchiae from setiger 4 to end of fragment (~15 setigers missing). First branchia with 2 filaments; all other branchiae strongly pectinate with at least 6 filaments. Maximum filaments 21 at about setiger 15. Number of filaments reduced to 6 by setiger 40; this number retained in rest of specimen. No increase in number of filaments towards posterior end, but a slight increase in length of filaments present.

All neuropodial acicular lobes distally rounded; aciculae emerging at midline. All pre- and postsetal lobes low, transverse folds. Presetal lobes distinctly shorter than acicular lobes in anterior and median setigers, following outline of acicular lobes closely in posterior setigers. First 3 ventral cirri thick and tapering. Ventral cirri basally inflated from about setiger 4 through setiger 40. Inflated bases ovate; narrow tips tapering. Posterior ventral cirri increasingly digitiform, about half as long as notopodial cirri in median and posterior setigers. All notopodial cirri tapering from slightly inflated bases. Anterior notopodial cirri with up to 6 articulations; median and posterior notopodial cirri with 3 to 4 articulations.

Limbate setae slender, marginally serrated. Pectinate setae (Figure 98g,l,o) tapering, flat. One marginal tooth distinctly longer than other teeth; ~10 teeth present. Shafts of anterior and median compound falcigers (Figure 98h,k) inflated, marginally serrated; those of posterior falcigers tapering and smooth (Figure 98q). Appendages thick with very nearly parallel sides, bidentate. Proximal teeth larger than distal teeth, triangular, directed laterally. Distal teeth nearly straight, directed obliquely distally. Guards asymmetrically bluntly pointed; mucros absent. Pseudocompound falcigers and compound spinigers absent. Aciculae paired, yellow. Anterior aciculae tapering to blunt tips, gently curved or straight. In median setigers inferior aciculae (Figure 98n) blunt-tipped, distinctly sharply bent. Posteriorly inferior aciculae (Figure 98r) indistinctly bifid, slender; superior aciculae distinctly bifid with teeth of different sizes, thick; cross-sections round. Separation between core and sheath indistinct in both aciculae and subacicular hooks. Subacicular hooks (Figure 98m,p) yellow, tridentate with teeth in a crest. Hooks first present from setiger 27, present in all setigers thereafter, paired in some setigers. Two distal fangs grouped on common bases; tertiary fangs very small in median setigers, becoming more distinct in posterior setigers.

UNKNOWN MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES.—Jaw structure; pygidium and anal cirri.

EXPECTED STATES OF UNKNOWN MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES.—None.

CHARACTERS USED IN PREPARATION OF KEY NOT SCORED.—Inappropriate Characters: 56, 58, 59. Unknown Characters: 1, 2, 4, 6, 23, 36–38, 40.

ASSUMED STATES FOR PURPOSE OF PREPARING KEY.—37, 1; 38, 1.