Pillai: Serpulid polychaetes from the Australian Kimberleys 
153 
1938.7.25.2, from Hulule, Male Atoll, Maldives, labelled 
type specimen, and as a new variety Spirobranchus giganteus 
var. turbinatus, by J.S. Gardiner, which was examined during 
the present study, also is S. corniculatus. It is very large, and 
has a total length of 90.3 mm; its operculum is shown in Fig. 
40C. However, its radioles are arranged in only 6 spirals on 
each side, compared to the highest number recorded during 
this study. The number of abdominal segments is 226. The 
largest worm from Kimberleys AM W202960, however, has 
a total length of 43.8 mm, half that of the above specimen 
from the Maldives, and about 217 abdominal segments. The 
highest number of abdominal segments observed is 226 in a 
worm from Kimberleys collection AM W202959. 
The highest number of branchial whorls is 10 on either 
side in a specimen from AM W202958. Its special collar 
chaetae bear serrations, which are, as described earlier, 
long and wavy. Its thoracic uncini bear up to about 21 teeth, 
in addition to the anterior gouged process; and anterior 
abdominal uncini, about 11 teeth. 
In a larger specimen of S. corniculatus in BMNH 
1970.853 from Matur Island, Solomon Islands, collected and 
presented to the NHM by P.E. Gibbs in 1970, the radioles are 
arranged in 8 spirals on each side. Opercular peduncle and 
inter-radiolar membranes are unfringed. Abdominal uncinal 
tori are lateral, starting from about 7 or 8 segments from 
the anterior end; long-shafted abdominal chaetae present 
throughout the abdomen. 
In a very much larger specimen, in BMNH 1970.82, 
collected by P. Gibbs from Paleki Islands, LWM, during 
the Royal Society Expedition to the Solomon Islands, and 
identified as S. giganteus corniculatus by ten Hove, 7.9.95, of 
total length 99.5 mm, has only 8 radiolar spirals on each side. 
Although S. bucephalus (Morch, 1863), based on 
Pomatoceros bucephalus Morch (1863: fig. 26) from Java, 
and accompanied by a more accurate description.existed 
asan alternative for S. corniculatus, Grube’s description 
came out earlier, in 1862, and has priority in terms of the 
rules of Nomenclature 
See ten Hove (1970) for past records of S. corniculatus 
from the Philippines, Indonesia, New Guinea, New 
Caledonia, Marshall Islands, Australia, Japan, Maldives, Sri 
Lanka, S. Arabian Coast, Red Sea, East Africa, Madagascar 
and South Africa. 
Spirobranchus sp. 1, 
cf. polytremus (Philippi, 1844) 
Fig. 40D-F 
Material examined. Kimberleys, Western Australia, 2 specimens, without 
their tubes, AM W21404, Bernouli Island, 15°00'S 124°47'E, 12Jul. 1988, 
st 30; coll. P.A. Hutchings. 
Description 
Measurements. Total lengths 7.0 mm and 6.7 mm; widths of 
thorax 1.0 and 0.9 mm; lengths of operculum and peduncle 
3.0 mm and 2.7 mm; abdomen incomplete in first specimen, 
2.8 mm long in second. Number of abdominal segments in 
complete specimen: 41, with capillaries commencing from 
the 33rd. 
Tube. Missing. 
Worm. Operculum calcareous; occurs on left side in both 
specimens, rudimentary operculum absent. Opercular plate 
bears a pair of rounded lobes (Fig. 40D-F) similar to that 
described for S. polytremus (Philippi, 1844); peduncle 
winged, the latter fringed (Fig. 40F). Branchial radioles 
arranged in a circle on each side; 7 pairs of radioles in first 
specimen; 6 on the left and 7 on the right in second; pinnule- 
free tips moderately long and thick. Thoracic chaetigers 
number 7. Apron: present. 
Remarks. It had been previously shown (Zibrowius, 1968; 
Imajima, 1977, 1998; Bianchi, 1981; Ben-Eliahu, 1996) 
that Pomatostegus polytrema (Philippi, 1844) is indeed a 
Spirobranchus, since its operculum is calcareous, unlike in 
Pomatostegus in which it is chitinous. 
From various past descriptions from the Indo-Pacific 
area, it appears that there are a number of Spirobranchus 
polytremus-Uke species, which need to be sorted out. A 
good example is that of the types A and B of this complex 
described by Imajima (1977: 102-106). Imajima remarks 
that “It is unlikely that” the species described by him 
“will prove to be the same as the Mediterranean species”. 
However, regarding the “complexity of the group involved, 
the confusion of names by previous authors, and the scarcity 
of data on infraspecific variation of the individual species, 
it appears best not to introduce another name, and await a 
full-scale revision of the group.” For the same reason, the 
Kimberleys specimens are therefore not named. 
It would be useful, however, to note the differences 
among the Mediterranean S. polytremus, the similar 
Kimberleys specimens described above, and other similar 
species described from the Indo-West Pacific. According 
to Zibrowius (1968), the tube of S. polytremus (Philippi, 
1844) from the Mediterranean possesses a well-developed 
MLR and a pair of LLR’s on either side of it, with rows of 
pits at their bases. According to Bianchi (1981: fig. 41A,B) 
its colour is white, but may be faintly rose or violet. The 
description of the tubes by Ben-Eliahu & Fiege (1996) agrees 
with that of both Zibrowius and Bianchi: “Characteristic 
tubes triangular in cross section with tiny pits at medial and 
lateral keels (some with faint pink cast), and with typical 
internal cellular chambers within the lower lateral parts...” 
The worm in S. polytremus, according to Zibrowius 
(1968), possesses about 9 radioles, the operculum occurs 
in the position of the most dorsal radiole of the left side, 
the peduncle is winged and the wings are not fringed. 
In the Kimberleys described above are different in that 
their peduncular wings are fringed (Fig. 39D-F); and the 
maximum number of radioles is 6, but confirmation is 
required as to whether there are larger sizes with a higher 
number of radioles or not. 
Among the similar species from the Indo-West Pacific: 
Temporaria polytrema from New South Wales (Straughan, 
1967) and Sri Lanka by (Pillai, 1971), the synonymies of 
which had previously been dealt with, and specimens of a 
very small S. polytremus-Wke species collected by the present 
author from Jayapura, West Irian (Indonesia) in 1969/70 
and passed on to ten Hove. Spirobranchus oligotremus 
(Straughan, 1967) is another. Straughan (1967) states that 
the former has about 8 pairs of radioles arranged in a spiral 
and inter-radiolar membrane are absent. It is unusual for a 
Spirobranchus to have such a low number of radioles spirally 
arranged on each side. In other S. polytremus-Wke species, 
however, the radioles are arranged in a circle on each side 
and inter-radiolar membranes are present. 
