Syllis (Ehlersia) sp. A 



Figures 30-117, 118a-h 



MATERIAL EXAMINED: 

 Gulf of Mexico BLM-OCS: 



STOCS SB3-5 4/76 (1 spec), SB3-1 12/76 (3 spec), HR1-3 W/76 (1 spec, 

 USNM 75228), HRl-6 F/76 (1 spec, USNM 65663). 

 Supplementary Material: 



Texas — Flower Gardens, Sta. PLA III, 27°52.36*N, 93°59.69'W, 117 m (1 

 spec.) 



DESCRIPTION: 



Length of one complete specimen, 4.9 mm; width, to 0.3 mm. Body small, 

 slender, with up to 41 setigers. Prostomium triangular, with up to four 

 small, faint eyes (sometimes absent) and 0-2 ocular spots (Figure 30- 

 118a). Median antenna arising near posterior border of prostomium, with 

 25 articles; lateral antennae with 6-13 articles. Palps short, broad, 

 fused basally. Dorsal tentacular cirri with 5-8 articles, ventral ones 

 with three articles. Dorsal cirri short, slender, with 3-11 articles. 

 Ventral cirri digitiform, arising basally and not extending beyond 

 parapodia. Anal cirri with ten articles. Composite setae including 1-2 

 superior, long-bladed, spiniger-like setae (Figure 30-118b); 2-3 moder- 

 ately long-bladed falcigers (Figure 30-118c); 2-3 moderately short- 

 bladed falcigers (Figure 30-118d); and 2-3 very short-bladed falcigers 

 (Figure 30-118e) per parapodium; all having bidentate blades with knob- 

 like terminal tooth. Blade-length ratios 4.5-5.5:1 anteriorly, 5.8- 

 9.8:1 medially, about 4:1 posteriorly. Superior simple seta bidentate 

 with rounded teeth (Figure 30-118f); inferior simple seta bidentate with 

 pointed teeth (Figure 30-118g); both present posteriorly. Acicula dis- 

 tally notched (Figure 30-118h), emergent posteriorly. Pharynx extending 

 to setigers 3-8; margin smooth, surrounded by ten soft papillae; mid- 

 dorsal tooth subterminal. Proventricle extending from setigers 3-9 to 

 8-14, with 29-31 muscle cell rows. Ventricle occupying one setiger. 

 Proventricle 1-1.5 times longer than pharynx and 1.6-4.4 times longer 

 than wide. 



REMARKS: This species is similar to Ehlersia rosea magna Westheide, 

 1974. It differs from the latter in having shorter dorsal cirri, middle 

 falcigers with relatively longer blades medially and posteriorly, and 

 the proventricle longer than the pharynx. Syllis ( Ehlersia ) sp. A was 

 originally identified as Syllis ( Elersia ) cornuta and S. anops in BLM- 

 STOCS collections. 



GULF OF MEXICO BLM-OCS OCCURRENCE: Two stations off central Texas 

 (Figure 30-117); 75-82 ra; silty clay. 



Subgenus Typosyllis Langerhan^ , 1879 



TYPE SPECIES: Syllis krohnii Ehlers, 1864. 



REFERENCE: 



Fauchald, 1977a:84. 



DIAGNOSIS: Modified simple and pseudocoraposite setae absent. Blades of 



superior composite setae falcigerous, less than five times longer than 



blades of inferior setae. 



REMARKS: The subgenus Typosyllis is taxonomically a difficult and 



challenging group of many morphologically similar species which differ 



from each other primarily in setal details. These differences are 



30-124 



