Dear all,
I'd forgotten all about it but here is a repeat of the Corrigenda by David Kirtley (deceased) that was in
the 1995 e-mail newsletter circulated by yrs truly, should anyone wish to print it and insert in the book.
Geoff
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- SABELLARIIDAE REVISION CORRIGENDA
---------------------------------
From David Kirtley <dwkirtley from igc.apc.org>
Kirtley, D.W., 1994, A review and taxonomic revision of
the family Sabellariidae Johnston, 1865 (Annelida;
Polychaeta). Sabecon Press, Science Series Number 1,
223 pages. CORRIGENDA.
pp. 2 and 31. Subsequent to the publication of this edition, Dr. Mary E.
Petersen, Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen, went through the
collections there and found three of the original six specimens listed in
an unpublished catalogue by Kroeyer of worms transferred to the
Zoological Museum from the Royal Museum (ZMUC Archives A92, p. 38). The
specimens are labelled "R.[ Roerglas, vial] Serpula caudata Kr., meget
smukt, Vestindien [very beautiful, West Indies], 14/1-56 [14 January
1856, journal date]." The catalogue entry gives the date of collection
as 18/9-45 [18 September, 1845]. The name of the collector is not given.
Dr. Petersen writes that: "Dr. Torben Wolf, ZMUC, pointed out that
Kroeyer was first in the West Indies in 1853 and thus could not have
collected the material in 1845, but that Oersted may have collected it."
The name "Serpula caudata Kr." exists only in the hand-written Kroeyer's
catalog and on the specimen labels. There is no record that Kroeyer ever
formally published this name; therefore, it has no nomenclatural status
(ICZN, 1985:13-17, Articles 8 & 9). Moerch, 1863:96, indicated that
Kroeyer was the original author of the species by including his name
after the binomen _Phragmatopoma caudata_. Dr. Petersen suggests, and I
concur, that the appropriate name for this species should be written as:
_Phragmatopoma caudata_ Kroeyer in Moerch, 1863.
p. 74. The name _Sabellaria spinulosa_ Leuckart, 1849, has been used by
numerous authors for what are now considered to be a number of apparently
unrelated forms. Along with a list of "varieties," the species has been
considered as an example of the "cosmopolitan" distribution of
sabellariid species. Johansson (1927:93), included Iceland (Island) in
the list of localities in the distribution of this species. Hartman
(1959:476), lists the type locality as Iceland and that error is repeated
under Remarks: p. 76. Dr. Petersen also called my attention to the fact
that Leuckart (1849), in a paper entitled "Zur Kenntnis der Fauna von
Island" included a discussion, unrelated to any sabellariid material
collected from Iceland, of a sabellariid species collected from the North
Sea near Helgoland which Frey and Leuckart previously (1847:15) had
thought might be _Amphitrite ostrearia_ Cuvier and they transferred this
species to _Hermella ostrearia_ (Cuvier). Grube (1848: 38) proposed the
name _Sabellaria longispina_ for a species collected from the
Mediterranean (Mittelmeer, perhaps Trieste) by Otto which Grube
considered identical with Frey and Leuckart's _H. ostrearia_ (Cuvier).
Leuckhart (1849:178-179, footnote 3) proposed a new name, _Hermella
spinulosa_, for the species from Helgoland. This species name is listed
in the Material examined on p. 75, (ZMB Q-2253); Nordsee and Trieste); as
is _Sabellaria ostrearia_ (Cuv.) (ZMB Q-4866); Helgoland). The
Mediterranean and North Sea forms should be re-examined and compared to
determine whether or not they belong in the same, or a different group.
p. 185. In the original description of the genus _Bathysabellaria_
Lechapt and Gruet, 1993:243, the presence of an unpaired median organ at
the anterior end of the ventral midline of the prostomium was not noted.
Subsequent studies of an additional new species in this genus (Lechapt
and Kirtley, in preparation) reveal the presence of this feature and a
re-examination of examples of _B. neocaledoniensis_ Lechapt and Gruet,
1993, confirm the presence of this organ. In all other known genera of
Sabellariidae the median organ, if present, is located at, or near, the
anterior dorsal midline; between the opercular peduncles (lobes, stalks).
[-- CORRIGENDA ends]
Dr Kirtley comments: Since I had been assured that the type material of
_Phragmatopoma caudata_ Kroeyer, a major reef-building species on the
western Atlantic coast in the W. hemisphere - had been lost, and since I
believe the name should be conserved - I am pleased that the types are
found and future workers could refer to something better than the
illustrations published by Moerch.
The name "S. spinulosa" has been spread around the globe by polychaete
taxonomists like jelly on bread, as solid proof of the existence of
"cosmopolitan" species. I am also pleased to find out why no one in
Iceland ever answered my inquiries about local sabellariid specimens.
The presence of a ventral median organ may only be of interest to those
who may wonder what the animals use them for anyway, but I think the
structure and position of this organ might be found to be useful
information in analysis of the phylogenetic relationships among various
taxa in Sabellariidae.
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