REDESCRIPTION OF SOME SPECIES OF CHONE KROYER 

 AND EUCHONE MALMGREN, AND THREE NEW SPECIES 



(SABELLIDAE, POLYCHAETA)' 



Karl Banse^ 



ABSTRACT 



Generic diagnoses are given for Chone (syn. Megachone) and Euchone. Redescriptions 

 and additions to the descriptions, in part based on study of the types, are provided for 

 some species, Chone aurantiaca (new combination), C. duneri (syn. C. bimaculata) , 

 C. ecaudata (syn. C. minuta) , C. eniwetokensis (new combination), C. gracilis, C. in- 

 fundibuliformis (syn. C. teres), C. inagna, C. mollis, C. paucibranchiata, Euchone alicau- 

 data, E. analis, E. capensis, E. elegans, E. papiUosa, and E. rubrocincta. Three new 

 species, Chone albocincta, Chone veleronis, and Euchone velifera are described. The 

 number of lobes of the collar is rejected for the Sabellidae as a character on the generic 

 level; the diagnostic value of the palmate membrane is discussed. 



The sabellid polychaetes are filter feeders which 

 usually live in permanent tubes. Two genera, 

 Chone Kroyer and Euchone Malmg-ren, which 

 occur worldwide, are treated here taxonomically. 

 The length of species of Chone ranges from 

 2.5 mm to almost 10 cm, that of species of E71- 

 chone from a few millimeters to a few centi- 

 meters. Some species are quite common on 

 sandy or muddy bottoms (cf. Mcintosh, 1916; 

 Hartman, 1944b; Kiihlmorgen-Hille, 1963) ; at 

 least some species are eaten by fishes (Mcintosh, 

 1916; Berkeley and Berkeley, 1954). 



The study was initiated because of difl^culties 

 in identifying large species of Chone in the Syn- 

 optic Collection of the Friday Harbor Labora- 

 tories, University of Washington. This led to 

 reexaminations of some types and other speci- 

 mens primarily from the North Pacific and North 

 Atlantic Oceans. The results are an emenda- 

 tion of the generic diagnosis of Chone, including 

 the placement of Megachone Johnson in Choiie, 

 the redescription or improvement of the knowl- 

 edge of some previously known species, and the 



^ Contribution No. 644 from the Department of Ocean- 

 ography, University of Washington, Seattle, Wash. 



^ Department of Oceanography, University of Wash- 

 ington, Seattle, WA 98195. 



erection of three new species. Because material 

 of several large species of Euchone was at hand, 

 additions to their descriptions are also included, 

 the generic diagnosis is emended, and a new spe- 

 cies is described. 



Of general taxonomic interest is the discovery 

 of a new species of Euchone, E. velifera, which 

 has a ventrally deeply incised collar with an ad- 

 ditional pair of lateral notches (Figure 12a). 

 A collar that is ventrally moderately incised is 

 known also for E. papiUosa (Sars) and E. ca- 

 pensis Day (Figure lln) . The species otherwise 

 agree fully with the characters of Euchone. Sim- 

 ilarly, Chone trilohata Gallardo has deep lateral 

 notches in its collar but otherwise is typical. 

 Especially the occurrence of bilobed collars in 

 species of Euchone, a genus uniquely character- 

 ized by the anal depression, provides further 

 evidence in support of Johansson's (1927) strong 

 criticism of the attempt by Bush (1904) to make 

 the collar a character of major importance in 

 distinguishing genera among the Sabellidae. 

 Consequently, genera like Pseudopotamilla Bush, 

 separated from Potamilla Malmgren only by dif- 

 ferences in the collar, should not be maintained. 

 In view of the fact that not all Euchone species 

 have a palmate membrane, the question is dis- 



Manuscript accepted November 1971. 

 FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 70, NO. 2, 



1972. 



459 



