Pillai: Serpulid polychaetes from the Australian Kimberleys 
95 
Introduction 
This major study of Polychaeta of the family Serpulidae 
Rafinesque, 1815, collected by Pat Hutchings from the 
Kimberleys of Australia in 1988, consists of twenty-four 
species belonging to nine genera, of which two genera and 
fourteen species are new. One of the latter belongs to the 
filogranin genus Kimberleya (new), one to Pseudoprotula 
(new), one to Vermiliopsis, seven to Hydroides, two to 
Serpula, and two to Spirobranchus. The study also addresses 
problems relating to similar but distinct species of certain 
genera from other locations in the Indo-West Pacific which 
had previously been identified as belonging to one and the 
same species, as well as those that had in recent years been 
designated as “species complexes” or “species groups” for 
want of adequate characters to satisfactorily separate them. 
Among them are species Vermiliopsis, Hydroides, Serpula 
and Spirobranchus. For instance, although Hydroides 
tambalagamensis Pillai, 1961, was first described from Sri 
Lanka, and later reported from Australia, Japan and China, 
superficially similar material in the Kimberleys collection 
turned out to be a new species, and the same as that referred to 
from Australia, Japan, and China. Another is the “ Vermiliopsis 
infundibulum/glandigera group”. Rather than assigning 
V. glandigera occurring in the Kimberleys collection to 
the latter, evidence is provided for separation of the two 
species composing it. The difficult genus Spirobranchus was 
especially interesting in this respect. Besides dealing with 
synonymy of Pomatoceros Philippi, 1844, and Pomatoleios 
Pixell, 1913, with Spirobranchus Blainville, 1817, it was 
found that there are at least two groups of similar species, 
those similar to Spirobranchus tetraceros (Schmarda, 1861), 
and those similar to S. latiscapus (Marenzeller, 1885). Their 
separation involved comparisons with collections available 
in the AM and NHM, which revealed the existence of at least 
seven species having a S. tetraceros-like operculum, of which 
three are new, and five having a S. latiscapus- like operculum 
bearing stacked discs, of which four are new. 
The earliest contributions to our knowledge on serpulids 
from Australia and New Zealand and/or their distribution, 
were those by Schmarda (1861), Haswell (1884), Ehlers 
(1904, 1907), Augener (1914), Johansson (1918) and 
Benham (1916, 1927). They were followed by Dew (1959), 
Straughan (1966, 1967a,b,c), and Hutchings (1982). 
Several authors have dealt with serpulids from other 
locations in the Indo-West Pacific: among them, Marenzeller 
(1885), Willey (1905), Pixell (1913), Monro (1939), Pillai 
(1960, 1965, 1970, 1971), Fauvel (1953), Imajima & 
Hartman (1964), Reish (1968), Gibbs (1971), Imajima 
(1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1982), Uchida (1978), ten Hove 
& Weerdenburg (1978), Chen & Wu (1978, 1980), and Wu 
& Chen (1978, 1981), Muhammad (1971), ten Hove & 
Jansen-Jacobs (1984), Imajima & ten Hove (1984,1986), and 
Bailey-Brock (1985,1987). More recent works include those 
by ten Hove & Smith (1990), ten Hove (1994), Pillai & ten 
Hove (1994), ten Hove & Nishi (1996), Ishaq & Mustaquim 
(1996), Nishi & Asakura (1996), Fiege & Sun (1999), Fiege 
& ten Hove (1999) and Sun & Yang (2000,2001a,b). Among 
the species of Hydroides dealt with by Bastida-Zavala & ten 
Hove (2002,2003) are two that occur in the Western Atlantic 
as well as the Indo-West Pacific Region. 
Material and methods 
The islands off the Kimberley Plateau, North Western 
Australia, from where the serpulids described in this paper 
were collected are shown in Figure 1. 
All available specimens, from juveniles to adults were 
studied in order to obtain as much data as possible on 
ontogenetic changes in characters, such as, in the operculum, 
number and arrangement of radioles, abdominal segments 
and arrangement of abdominal uncinal tori. 
Many specimens possess complete tubes, some only 
tube fragments, while the tubes of others are missing. Since 
tube characteristics are best observed prior to extracting the 
worms from within, the following procedures were carried 
out under a low-power stereomicroscope with the specimens 
placed under alcohol in a laboratory dish. They were first 
cleaned using a paintbrush with stiff bristles. Calcareous 
overgrowths were removed with a fine-tipped surgical 
scalpel avoiding damage to tube ornamentation, and then 
measured and illustrated. To extract the worms, each tube 
was fractured as follows. It was firmly held with a pair of 
forceps; then the blunt edge of an ordinary laboratory scalpel 
was placed across it with its pointed end resting on the dish, 
and appropriate pressure was applied at intervals, from its 
anterior to posterior end, taking care not to damage the worm 
within. For juvenile specimens, a firm bent mounted needle 
was used in a similar manner, applying pressure along the 
tube with the convex side of its bend. 
The following routine measurements were carried out, 
depending on completeness of available specimens. Tubes: 
total length, maximum diameter; height at aperture and 
maximum width, including lateral flanges. Worms: total 
length from tip of longest radiole or operculum, whichever 
is longer, to posterior end of abdomen; width of thorax at 
level of collar fascicles; length of thorax from collar to last 
thoracic segment; length of operculum plus peduncle; length 
and diameter of opercular plate; longest radiole, including, 
if found uncontracted, its pinnule-free tip; and length of 
abdomen. Counts: number of radioles on each side, and, if 
spirally arranged, the number of spirals to record maximum 
number encountered; number of pairs of thoracic chaetigers, 
or number on each side, if different; number of abdominal 
segments, and number bearing capillaries at its posterior end. 
Slides were prepared in Gurr’s Aquamount of the 
following: collar chaetae teased out form an entire collar 
fascicle, some thoracic and anterior abdominal tori, and the 
terminal abdominal segments of one side. Carbon-dioxide 
bubbles released by the mounting medium reacting with 
calcareous matter in the tissues were lifted off with the bend 
of a curved mounted needle before placing the cover glass, 
and then baked in a slide oven. 
Drawings were made under low and high power 
magnifications with the aid of drawing attachments. For 
collar chaetae, they consisted of the blade, the boss and 
part of the chaetal shaft. For detailed comparisons between 
species, they included those recently formed within the collar 
fascicles and had not been subjected to abrasion, as well 
those earlier formed ones projecting outside the fascicle that 
had been subjected to abrasion with use. The number and 
arrangement of teeth in the thoracic and abdominal uncini 
and shape of their most anterior tooth were noted. 
