A revision of Sabella, Bispira and Stylomma (Polychaeta: Sabellidae)

Abstract

Sabella is rediagnosed to include only species that have spiralled fascicles of abdominal chaetae, first thoracic shield with straight anterior border and radioles that lack composite eyes and flanges. Spirographis spallanzanii is synonymous with Sabella penicillus. The type of the genus is discussed and a neotype designated. The only other species retained in Sabella are S. pavonina and S. discifera (= Branchiomma linaresi, once misplaced in Megalomma, but abdominal fascicles of Megalomma form transverse rows). Most species formerly placed in Sabella are transferred to Bispira, having C‐shaped fascicles of abdominal chaetae, first thoracic shield with a ‘W‐shaped anterior border and, in most species, radioles with paired composite eyes and flanges. Bispira, with B. volutacornis as the type species, is rediagnosed to include B. crassicomis, B. fabricii, B. melanostigma, B. tricyclia, B. viola, B. manicata, B. poricfera, B, mariae, B. elegans, B. brunnea, B. guinensis, B. secusolutus, B. wireni, B. oatesiana, B. spirobranchia, B. pacifica, B. monroi, and B. turneri, many of which are described fully for the first time. Only five of these form bispiral crowns (bispirality is useful only specifically and occurs in other genera) and one, B. tricyclia, has a unispiral crown. Sabella palmata Quatrefages, the type of Stylomma is redescribed and its synonyms discussed. This genus has abdominal fascicles like those of Bispira, but radiolar eyes like those of Megalomma. The relative advantages of chaetal arrangement and eye position are discussed.

Some intertidal and shallow water polychaetes of the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica

“…Uncini are avicular with a short manubrum and companion setae are somewhat scoop-shaped similar to those shown in Knight-Jones and Perkins (1998). Abdominal parapodia are conical lobes with neurosetae in a C-shaped arrangement.…”

A taxonomic guide to the fanworms (Sabellidae, Annelida) of Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, including new species and new records

“…The latter species is distinguishable from B. porifera by the presence of radiolar eyes. According to Knight-Jones and Perkins (1998), the species could be widespread in the warmer waters of the Indo-Pacific. It was previously recorded from Cape York in Queensland by Augener (1922).…”

Phylogeography of the invasive polychaete Sabella spallanzanii (Sabellidae) based on the nucleotide sequence of internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) of nuclear rDNA

“…S. spallanzanii now forms a kind of living carpet over parts of the floor of Port Phillip Bay, on the southeastern coast of Australia, to the detriment of the local scallop fishery (Carey & Watson 1992, Clapin & Evans 1995. S. spallanzanii, previously known as Spirographis spallanzanii (Knight-Jones & Perkins 1998), is a tubicolous species and one of the most common polychaetes in many different coastal Mediterranean habitats, including very polluted ones (harbors, sewage outfall) (Giangrande & Petraroli 1994, Giangrande & Gambi 1998. It is also found on the eastern Atlantic coasts off Morocco (Bitar 1987), from Portugal to northwest France, and in the Azores (Andrew & Ward 1997).…”