Descriptions of two new species of <i>Eunice</i> Cuvier, 1817 (Polychaeta: Eunicidae) from coastal islands of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

SUMMARY: Two new species of Eunice from coastal islands of the state of São Paulo are described, both of them living in colonies of the coral Mussismilia hispida. One species was also collected from a sandy beach. Eunice insularis has short palps and antennae in a horseshoe, without articulations; most of the specimens studied are abranchiate, but some have one branchial filament in a few parapodia. Eunice marconii also has palps and antennae without articulations, in a horseshoe, and 1-3 long slender branchial filaments from the anterior to posteriormost chaetigers. These new species are compared with the morphologically closest congeners.

Reconciling taxonomy and phylogeny in the bristleworm family Eunicidae (polychaete, Annelida)

“…insularis Nogueira et al . and six other Eunice and Marphysa sensu lato species (Figs and ; clade 38*). This clade is supported by just one unique synapomorphy, darkest shade of subacicular hooks in P3 near distal end (Figs , B; Appendix S2 character 200).…”

“…Furthermore, intraspecific variation in absence/presence of peristomial cirri may occur in N. insularis (Nogueira et al . ). Therefore, having three antennae, a pair of palps and lacking peristomial cirri, is not unique to Marphysa and not enough to characterize the genus.…”

“…Nicidion amoureuxi (Rullier, 1974), Nicidion angeli (Carrera‐Parra & Salazar‐Vallejo, 1998), Nicidion cariboea (Grube, 1856), Nicidion cincta Kinberg ; Nicidion insularis (Nogueira et al . ), Nicidion hentscheli (Augener, 1931), Nicidion mikeli (Carrera‐Parra & Salazar‐Vallejo, 1998), Nicidion mutilata (Webster ), Nicidion notata (Treadwell, 1921) and Nicidion samoae (Hartmann‐Schröder, 1965).…”

“…However, absence/presence of branchiae is not informative for genera taxonomy (Fauchald ) and may vary within species (Nogueira et al . ). Currently, absence/presence of different kinds of chaetae is the main segmental character used at the generic level, for example Palola lacks pectinate chaetae and subacicular hooks (Fauchald ).…”

A phylogenetic analysis of the genus Eunice (Eunicidae, polychaete, Annelida)

“…Juvenile traits in Eunice include absence of palps, as in Lysidice , absence of peristomial cirri, as in Marphysa and Lysidice , and branchiae either absent or poorly developed, as in E. cariboea and Lysidice (e.g. Giangrande, 1989; Lu & Fauchald, 1998; Nogueira, Steiner & Amaral, 2001).…”