[Annelida] polychaete tissue samples

[Geoff Read]

Hi Jan & all,

I note my non-worm colleagues at my institute are also receiving
similar requests for their taxa. I would like to see a more detailed
science rationale for this project divorced from the  press release &
intro I see at www.caml.aq.  (quote "... highlighted 235 species
co-occurring in both polar regions. CAML identified this as a key
discovery"  end quote. A discovery?  Hopefully based on more than the
same names turning up in old monographs, or as quickly identified from
keys by non-specialists)  Such as is there an ocean currents mechanism
that would carry larvae from pole to pole in biologically realistic
time?  Is there a project proposal document available outlining the
science? 

In the case of the polychaetes the list appears taxonomically naive,
consisting almost entirely of 19th century names (which may lack a
modern taxonomic revision). Who made this list? For instance  Fauchald
1992 said in his revision that for Eunice pennata, type locality
Oslofjord, Antarctic records "have yet to be confirmed" (that usually
means in polite taxonomic speak such records are unbelievable), whereas
Orensanz's (1990) description was based only on the Antarctic material
without comparing the northern entity.  Score that one taxonomically
confused, noting neither made the claim it was bi-polar. I doubt that
any taxonomic expert  seriously thinks any of the polychaetes listed
really are at both poles (well there may be some support for at least
one species). That said it would be excellent, repeat EXCELLENT, to
collaborate to investigate certain related taxa molecularly, but without
buying into the bi-polar idea. Hyalinoecia tubicola and closely allied
taxa for example. Would love to see what is going on with that, but
there seems to be only one CO1 accession yet. Also I have some doubt on
whether Hyalinoecia spp fit the criteria by extending to the Antarctic
(or Arctic) proper. We haven't found them in the Ross Sea yet, though
there are plenty in NZ waters on the continental slopes to about 50 deg
S, and Orensanz didn't report them on the Antarctic Peninsula, although
there is one Smithsonian record from there. I can't see any Arctic
records in Obis at a quick look. So how did it get in the list? Anyway
it doesn't look like we've got ethanol-fixed even from local seas but I
will check again.

One exception with modern support that I noticed is Glycera capitata,
apparently the only Antarctic Glycera species, and which Markus
Böggemann (2002) was unable to subdivide in his revision, attributing
Arctic and Antarctic material to it. The distribution is really
disjunct, and the natural suggestion would be that the Southern
hemisphere has a different species - would like to see that tested. NIWA
does have ethanol-fixed Antarctic tissue we will make available (along
with whatever else will be useful).

Geoff

>>> On 5/11/2009 at 2:15 a.m., Jan Strugnell
<jan.strugnell from googlemail.com> wrote:
> Dear Annelid scientists!
> 
> 
> My name is Jan Strugnell and I am currently working on a Census of  
> Marine Life initiative investigating species that have been suggested
 
> to be present at both polar regions (and possibly cosmopolitan) in  
> their distribution.   I include a list of polychaetes below which
have  
> been suggested to be present in the Arctic and Antarctic.
> 
> I am trying to track down tissue samples of these polychaetes from  
> both poles (and also places in between where they exist) that have  
> been fixed in ethanol or frozen and could be used for DNA barcoding 

> (through the Guelph barcoding facility).
> 
> I was wondering if any of you had any of these samples, (stored in  
> ethanol or frozen) that could be barcoded for this project?  Only a 

> tiny piece of tissue would be required.
> 
> Yours sincerely,
> 
> Jan
> 
> Jan Strugnell
> Lloyd's Tercentenary Fellow
> Department of Zoology
> University of Cambridge
> Downing Street
> Cambridge CB2 3EJ	 UK
> 
> http://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/zoostaff/amos/new/meg/jan.html 
> 
> Capitellida        	Maldane
sarsi				Malmgren, 1865
> 
> Eunicida                Eunice
pennata				(O.F. Müller, 1776)
> 
> Eunicida                Hyalinoecia tubicola			(O.F.
Müller, 1776)
> 
> Eunicida                Lumbrineris
tetraura			(Schmarda, 1861)
> 
> Flabelligerida       Brada
villosa					(Rathke, 1843)
> 
> Opheliida		Ophelina cylindricaudata		(Hansen,
1878)
> 
> Orbiniida		Levinsenia gracilis			(Tauber,
1879)
> 
> Oweniida		Myriochele
heeri				Malmgren, 1867
> 
> Phyllodocida		Ceratocephale
loveni			Malmgren, 1867
> 
> Phyllodocida		Eucranta
villosa				Malmgren, 1866
> 
> Phyllodocida		Glycera
capitata				Örsted, 1843
> 
> Phyllodocida		Harmothoe
impar				(Johnston, 1839)
> 
> Phyllodocida		Kefersteinia
cirrata			(Keferstein, 1862)
> 
> Phyllodocida		Laetmonice filicornis			Kinberg,
1856
> 
> Phyllodocida		Pelagobia longicirrata		Gravier, 1911
> 
> Phyllodocida		Phalacrophorus pictus		Greeff, 1879
> 
> Phyllodocida		Syllis
armillaris				(O.F. Müller, 1776)
> 
> Phyllodocida		Syllis cornuta				Rathke,
1843
> 
> Phyllodocida		Tomopteris septentrionalis 	Steenstrup,
1849
> 
> Phyllodocida		Typhloscolex muelleri			Busch,
1851
> 
> Spionida		Aphelochaeta marioni		(de
Saint-Joseph, 1894)
> 
> Spionida		Laonice cirrata				(M.
Sars, 1851)
> 
> Terebellida		Amphicteis gunneri			(Sars,
1835)
> 
> Terebellida		Amphitrite
cirrata				O. F. Müller, 1771 in
1776
> 
> Terebellida		Artacama proboscidea		Malmgren, 1866
> 
> Terebellida		Lysilla
loveni					Malmgren, 1866
> 
> Terebellida		Thelepus
cincinnatus			(Fabricius, 1780)
> 
> Terebellida		Trichobranchus
glacialis		Malmgren, 1866



-- 

 Geoff Read <g.read from niwa.co.nz>
   http://www.annelida.net/
  http://www.niwa.co.nz/about-niwa
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