Pista Pacifica Class: Polychaeta Order: Terebellida Family: Terebellidae
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Phylum: Annelida Pista pacifica Class: Polychaeta Order: Terebellida Family: Terebellidae Description Fauchald 1977). Prominent ventral groove Size: Individuals are large reaching up to 37 present abdominally (Fig. 2). cm in length and 5–6 mm in width (Hartman Posterior: Posterior gradually tapers 1969) and inhabit tubes that can reach to a broad and flattened pygidium (Fig. 2). lengths of 1 m (Winnick 1981). Parapodia: Biramous. Notopodia bear Color: Anterior segments light red to capillary notosetae that are long, slender and brownish pink with 12 tongue-shaped maroon limbate (= winglike) (Fig. 2). Zipper-like lobes (Fig. 2). “Scutes” (or ventral pads) on thoracic neuropodia contain uncini (Fig. 3), the first segments and ventral surface gray which are avicular (= beak-like) on first few with ochre and light yellow spots. Posterior segments and become short-stemmed pink and blackish, dark red branchiae and posteriorly. white tentacles with light gray and brown Setae (chaetae): Setae begin on segment stripes. four and consist of small fascicles arising from General Morphology: These relatively large branchial bases. Capillary notosetae begin at polychaetes are generally recognized by the segment four (Hartman 1969). Six single-row morphology of their tube. The characteristic uncinigerous neurosetae begin at segment hood-like tube anterior extends above the five where the first few are long-handled and sediment surface (Hartman 1969; see Kozloff avicular (Hartman 1969; Hilbig 2000) and the 1993 plate 325). rest are short (Blake and Ruff 2007) (Fig. 3). Body: Worm is soft and fragile, particularly The remaining 10 uncinigerous neurosetae the feeding tentacles. Thoracic and are double-row (Hartman 1969). Abdominal abdominal regions are distinct with largest uncini are avicular (Hartman 1969). segments medial (Fig. 1). Body can be Eyes/Eyespots: None. divided into two regions based on associated Anterior Appendages: Feeding tentacles parapodia: anterior region with biramous are long (Fig. 2), filamentous, mucus covered parapodia and a posterior region with only and white with light stripes. neuropodia (family Terebellidae, Fauchald Branchiae: Three pairs of dark, red, 1977). branched gills, which are plumose and arise Anterior: Prostomium is rounded and dorsally from segments two, three and four peristomium with hood-like membrane (Hartman 1969; Hilbig 2000) (Fig. 2). bearing tentacles (Hartman 1969) (Fig. 2). Branchiae contain vascular hemoglobin, Segments 1–4 with ventrolateral lappets, which transfers oxygen to coelomic which are most conspicuous on segments hemoglobin (Terwilliger 1974). three and four (Hartman 1969). Burrow/Tube: Sand covered tube is Trunk: Thorax with 17 setigers (16 cylindrical and consists of a rough, large uncinigers) and biramous parapodia. anterior with overlapping membrane (often Tongue-shaped pads or lobes, called broken when animal is collected). Posterior scutes, are present through setiger 10 (Fig. end of tube with characteristic "star of Pista” 2). Lateral lappets present on second and pattern (Fig. 1) (Terwilliger 1974). The worm third branchial segments (Hartman 1969; inhabits the vertical tube, which extends Hilbig 2000). Abdomen with about 300 several centimeters above the surface segments, bearing reduced neuropodia only sediment (Abbott and Reish 1980; Winnick and no notopodia (family Terebellidae, 1981). The orientation of the tube has been Hiebert, T.C. 2015. Pista pacifica. In: Oregon Estuarine Invertebrates: Rudys' Illustrated Guide to Common Species, 3rd ed. T.C. Hiebert, B.A. Butler and A.L. Shanks (eds.). University of Oregon Libraries and Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, Charleston, OR. A publication of the University of Oregon Libraries and the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology Individual species: http://hdl.handle.net/1794/12678 and full 3rd edition: http://hdl.handle.net/1794/18839 Email corrections to: [email protected] shown to correspond to the predominant lobes on the fourth segment and its tube has current direction (90˚ orientation, Winnick a sponge-like, reticulated top (Blake and Ruff 1981). 2007). Furthermore, the tubes of P. elongata Pharynx: are in crevices among rocks, not in estuarine Genitalia: mud. Pista agassizi (= P. brevibranchia) is Nephridia: The nephromixia (organs for only known from California, where habitat is reproduction and secretion) of the unknown (Blake and Ruff 2007). Pista Amphitritinae and, specifically, the genus agassizi has two pairs of branchiae (rather Pista have been described in detail (Smith than three in P. pacifica), lateral lappets on 1992). Pista pacifica is unique within this segments 1–3 transitioning to smaller lobes genus in having two pairs of excretionary and on segments 4–6 and there is no indication three pairs of reproductive nephromixia. The of the ventral pads or scutes, which are reproductive nephromixia are joined on each present in P. pacifica (Blake and Ruff 2007). side of the body by a common duct (Smith Pista cristata and P. fasciata are not 1992). currently reported between central California and Oregon (Blake and Ruff 2007). Pista Possible Misidentifications cristata, from Puget Sound, has gills, which The Terebellidae are one of a form a globular mass, and reaches lengths number of tube-building polychaete families up to 9 cm. P. fasciata, also from Puget with soft tentacles for deposit feeding and Sound, has prominent prostomial lobes. with gills on their anterior segments (Blake and Ruff 2007). Many terebellids occur in our Northwest bays. All of them have bodies Ecological Information with numerous segments and two distinct Range: Type locality is Vancouver Island, regions, a tapering abdomen with Canada (Hartman 1969). Range includes neurosetae only and both capillary setae and California to western Canada. uncinigerous tori on the thorax. They all Local Distribution: Coos Bay sites include have a modified and reduced head with the South Slough and Cape Arago Coves. prostomium and peristomium at least partly Habitat: Deep mud, sandy estuaries and fused and many non-retractible filiform protected bays (Abbott and Reish 1980), tentacles emerging from the folded where it makes large tubes and is commonly prostomium. Terebellids are relatively large, found in areas of dense eel grass (Porch usually over 5 cm in length, and have 1970). feeding tentacles (“spaghetti worms”), which Salinity: are not completely retractile into the worm's Temperature: mouth. Their branchiae are not simple, but Tidal Level: +0.15 m to subtidal. consist of masses of aborescent or Associates: The polynoid worm, Halosydna filamentous structures. There are 14 local brevisetosa, inhabits the tube of Pista pacifica terebellid genera (Blake and Ruff 2007): (Abbott and Reish 1980), in a commensal Amaeana, Eupolymnia, Lanice, Loimia, association. Other associates include white Nicolea, Neoamphitrite, Neoleprea, "nodding heads”, or entroprocts, which are Polycirrus, Proclea, Ramex, Spinosphaera, found on worm midsection. Streblosoma, Thelepus and Pista. Abundance: 3.5/m2 in eelgrass areas of Within the genus Pista, there are South Slough (Winnick 1981). three local species. The species with most similar morphology to P. pacifica is P. Life-History Information elongata. The latter species, however, has Reproduction: Terebellid reproductive and lappets on the second segment, but not on developmental modes are highly variable. the third (as in P. pacifica). Pista elongata Among local species, Eupolymnia can further be differentiated from P. pacifica heterobranchia (=crescentis), Neoamphitrite as the former species has no tongue-shaped robusta, Lanice conchilega and Amaeana Hiebert, T.C. 2015. Pista pacifica. In: Oregon Estuarine Invertebrates: Rudys' Illustrated Guide to Common Species, 3rd ed. T.C. Hiebert, B.A. Butler and A.L. Shanks (eds.). University of Oregon Libraries and Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, Charleston, OR. occidentalis are free spawners, with 4. CRUMRINE, L. 2001. Polychaeta, p. lecithotrophic larvae of short pelagic duration 39-77. In: Identification guide to larval (seven days). Ramex californiensis and marine invertebrates of the Pacific Thelepus crispus brood their larvae within Northwest. A. Shanks (ed.). Oregon their tubes (Blake 1991; McHugh 1993). Little State University Press, Corvallis, OR. is known about the development of Pista 5. FAUCHALD, K. 1977. The Polychaete pacifica, and although self-fertilization has not worms: definitions and keys to the been confirmed for any terebellid, orders, families and genera. Natural hermaphroditic P. pacifica individuals have History Museum of Los Angeles been observed (McHugh 1993). County, Los Angeles. Larva: The only unifying feature among 6. HARTMAN, O. 1969. Atlas of the terebellid larvae is that they are all non- sedentariate polychaetous annelids feeding (McHugh 1993). Immediately from California. Allan Hancock following metamorphosis (aulophore stage), Foundation, University of Southern two local species are known to feed in the California, Los Angeles, CA. plankton, Lanice conchilega and Liomia 7. HILBIG, B. 2000. Family Terrebellidae, medusa (McHugh 1993), but they are non- p. 231-290. In: Taxonomic atlas of the feeding in their first larval stage. The benthic fauna of the Santa Maria development of P. pacifica is not known. The Basin and western Santa Barbara only locally known terebellid larvae are those Channel. J. A. Blake, B. Hilbig, and P. of Lanice conchilega and Amphitrite cirrata H. Scott (eds.). Santa Barbara (Crumrine 2001). Museum of Natural History,