AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS Hutchings, Pat A., & Anna Murray, 1984. Taxonomy of polychaetes from the Hawkesbury River and the southern estuaries of New South Wales, Australia. Records of the Australian Museum, Supplement 3: 1–118. [28 September 1984]. doi:10.3853/j.0812-7387.3.1984.101 ISSN 0812-7387 Published by the Australian Museum, Sydney naturenature cultureculture discover discover AustralianAustralian Museum Museum science science is is freely freely accessible accessible online online at at www.australianmuseum.net.au/publications/www.australianmuseum.net.au/publications/ 66 CollegeCollege Street,Street, SydneySydney NSWNSW 2010,2010, AustraliaAustralia Records of the Australian Museum (1984), Suppl. 3 ISSN-0067-1975 Taxonomy of Polychaetes from the Hawkesbury River and the Southern Estuaries of New South Wales, Australia PAT HUTCHINGS and ANNA MURRAY The Australian Museum, P.O. Box A285, Sydney South, NSW 2000, Australia ABSTRACT. The polychaete fauna of the Hawkesbury River and some other estuarine areas in central and southern New South Wales is described. The majority of material comes from Merimbula, Jervis Bay, Port Hacking, Botany Bay, Hawkesbury River, Port Stephens and Broughton Island; often from seagrass habitats. The material from the Hawkesbury River has been collected over several years and detailed habitat and occurrence data are available. Over 180 species are recorded, of which 28 species and 4 genera are new: Harmothoe charlottae n.sp., Sthenelais pettiboneae n.sp., Compsanaitis inflata n.gen., n.sp., Podarke microantennata n.sp., Augeneria verdis n.sp., Schistomeringosjilijormis n.sp., Caulleriella dimorphosetosa n.sp., C. longisetosa n.sp., C. retusiseta n.sp., Chaetozone platycerca n.sp., Tharyx aphelocephalus n.sp., Lobochesis bibrancha n.gen., n.sp., L. longiseta n.sp., Ophelia elongata n.sp., O. multibranchia n.sp., Notomastus annulus n.sp., N. chrysosetus n.sp., N. estuarius n.sp., Polycirrus rosea n.sp., Pseudostreblosoma serratum n.gen., n.sp., Streblosoma atos n.sp., S. latitudinis n.sp., Longicarpus glandulus n.gen., n.sp., Nicolea amnis n.sp., Terebella pappus n.sp., Desdemona aniara n.sp., Euchone variabilis n.sp., and Laonome triangularis n.sp. For each species a full description is given except where a recent easily accessible description in English is available, in which case only a reference to that description is given. Habitat data where known is given together with the Australian distribution of the species. Many of the species are new records for Australia or for New South Wales. Keys to the families and species described in the paper are given. HUTCHINGS, PAT and ANNA MURRAY, 1984. Taxonomy of Polychaetes from the Hawkesbury River and the Southern estuaries of New South Wales, Australia. Records of the Australian Museum Supplement 3:1-118. 2 Records of the Australian Museum (1984), Suppl. 3 HUTCHINGS AND MURRAY: Polychaetes from Southern New South Wales 3 CONTENTS Abstract 1 Methods 5 Introduction ......................................................................... 5 Taxonomic Account .................................................................. 8 Key to the families ............................................................... 8 Species description ................................................................ 12 Polynoidae ...................................................................... 12 Polyodontidae ................................................................... 17 Sigalionidae ...................................................................... 17 Phyllodocidae .................................................................... 24 Hesionidae ...................................................................... 27 Pilargidae ....................................................................... 30 Syllidae ......................................................................... 30 Nereididae ....................................................................... 34 Nephtyidae ...................................................................... 42 Glyceridae ....................................................................... 44 Goniadidae ...................................................................... 44 Onuphidae ....................................................................... 45 Eunicidae ........ " .............................................................. 46 Lumbrineridae ................................................................... 47 Arabellidae ...................................................................... 49 Dorvilleidae ...................................................................... 49 Orbiniidae ....................................................................... 52 Paraonidae ...................................................................... 54 Spionidae ........................................................................ 55 Magelonidae ..................................................................... 62 Chaetopteridae ................................................................... 63 Cirratulidae ...................................................................... 64 Cossuridae ....................................................................... 73 Flabelligeridae ................................................................... 74 Scalibregmidae ................................................................... 74 Opheliidae ....................................................................... 74 Capitellidae ...................................................................... 79 Arenicolidae ..................................................................... 86 Maldanidae ...................................................................... 86 Oweniidae ....................................................................... 87 Pectinariidae ..................................................................... 87 Ampharetidae .................................................................... 87 Terebellidae ...................................................................... 89 Trichobranchidae ................................................................. 101 Sabellidae ....................................................................... 102 Serpulidae ....................................................................... 106 Spirorbidae ...................................................................... 107 Discussion ........................................................................... 109 Acknowledgements ................................................................... 111 References ........................................................................... 113 Records of the Australian Museum (1984), Suppl. 3 HUTCHINGS AND MURRAY: Polychaetes from Southern New South Wales 5 From 1977, the Marine Ecology Department at the this paper was to describe the new species, give new Australian Museum has undertaken an extensive benthic records for New South Wales and Australia and provide faunal study of the Hawkesbury River (Lat. 33°35'S, an identification guide, for the polychaetes occurring Long. 151°18'E), 50 km north of Sydney. While we in estuarine areas from central and southern New South were identifying the polychaete fauna it became obvious Wales. that many species were undescribed or represented new records from New South Wales, Australia. At the same time, one of us (PH) undertook an extensive survey of Methods Merimbula Estuary on the far south coast of New South Details regarding sampling sites (Station no., depth, .Wales (Day and Hutchings, 1984) and in Posidonia beds sediment type, salinity range) in the Hawkesbury (a map along the New South Wales coast (Collett et al., 1984). of which is shown in Figs la, b) are given in Table 1; The Hawkesbury fauna showed some similarity with in Day and Hutchings (1984) for the Merimbula the fauna collected during these other two surveys and Stations; and in Collett et al., (1984) for the Posidonia > it was decided to describe collectively the polychaete beds sampled along the coast. Figure 2 provides a fauna from the three surveys. Additional material in the detailed map of all localities mentioned in the text. Museum collections from New South Wales estuaries Detailed information on sediment, depth etc. is only was also examined and in many cases extended the available for the Hawkesbury River, Merimbula and known range of species. Posidonia sampling sites. Information from other Many of the species identified to genus in Hutchings localities is incomplete in many cases, but all the & Rainer (1980) are fully identified and described in this available data can be requested from the Australian paper. Keys to the families and species occurring within Museum by quoting the registration number. each family are provided, although the species must be Remarks on the occurrence of the species are based carefully checked against the description; additional on quantitative data collected during the three main species as yet undescribed certainly do occur in New surveys which form the bulk of the material examined, South Wales estuarine areas. The family key and family diagnoses given are after Fauchald (1977), but the order i.e. Merimbula, Posidonia fauna and the Hawkesbury River surveys; in most cases the only extensive data is in which the families are presented is after Hartman from Hawkesbury surveys. Material was collected from (1959). A glossary of terms commonly