August, 1998 SCAMIT Newsletter Vol. 17, No. 4 SUBJECT: Problem Polychaete Soulutions GUEST SPEAKER: None - Ron Velarde (CSDMWWD) Discussion Leader DATE: Monday, 21 September 1998 TIME: 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p. m. LOCATION: Worm Lab Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 900 Exposistion Blvd. Los Angeles, CA There was no August SCAMIT Meeting. At the September meeting, and after two months to ponder the nature of the problems covered in July and their possible solutions, a second problem polychaete discussion will be held. Since this will be the “prove it” meeting, please bring any supporting references, data, specimens, etc. to aid in resolving contentious taxonomic issues. The Meeting will be held at the Natural History Museum with Hartman’s types just down the hall for consultation if necessary. Terebellides reishi Willam, 1984 (Original drawing by Kathy Langan-Cranford CSDMWWD ) FUNDS FOR THIS PUBLICATION PROVIDED, IN PART BY THE ARCO FOUNDATION, CHEVRON, USA, AND TEXACO INC. SCAMIT Newsletter in not deemed to be valid publication for formal taxonomic purposes. August, 1998 SCAMIT Newsletter Vol. 17, No.4 NEW LITERATURE siphonophore species, including one reaching a length of up to 40m!! Unfortunately the article Two more landmark volumes have been does not discuss our one benthic siphonophore, released by the U.S. Government Printing Dromalia alexandri. Office (Voss et al 1998). They deal with the systematics and distribution of cephalopods A new journal is being launched - Biological world wide, and are symposium volumes with Invasions. As one might expect from his multiply authored individual contributions. prominence in the field, the Editor-in-chief is Both volumes are dedicated to Gil Voss and James T. Carlton. This journal represents the William Adam, two fallen giants in the field of first stab at concentrating information in a peer- cephalopod systematics and biology. They reviewed journal on all aspects of biological resulted from the International Workshop on invasions. The subject has been increasingly Systematics and Biogeography of Cephalopods reported in recent years because of man’s role held 10 years ago in Washington, and are in the process. The announcement contains a companion volumes to an earlier publication call for papers, and a description of the journal, dealing with larval and juvenile cephalopods along with a subscription form. Individual (Sweeney et al 1992). These three volumes subscriptions are $100/yr (four issues), and together constitute an extremely valuable institutional subscriptions are $252.50. summary of the current state of most Contributing authors will not be subject to page cephalopod systematics worldwide. We must charges, and are provided 75 offprints at no remember that not all of the contributions are charge. Contact Kluwer Academic Publishers completely up to date, and a great deal of Order Dept., P. O. Box 358 Accord Station, revisionary work on cephalopods has been Highham, MA 02018-0358; or via e-mail at published recently. There are some areas left [email protected] or on the web at http:// untouched as well - including the octopods of www.wkap.nl. Manuscripts should be the eastern Pacific. We assume this is because submitted to the Kluwer Academic Publishers work was not complete at the time of Journals Editorial Office - Biological publication on some of the subject taxa and or Invasions, P. O. Box 990, 3300AZ Dordrecht, areas. As with all Smithsonian Contributions, The Netherlands. it is likely that copies can be obtained from the authors (in this case the editors). Once their SLUGFEST supply is exhausted it will probably be The saga of California Philine species has been available from the USGPO for awhile, and may often addressed in the NL. There are, however, be reprinted if demand is sufficiently high. many other worthwhile discussions of the Anyone working with cephalopods can only current status of California species to be had. benefit from many of the articles presented in One of the most informative, and contentious, these volumes, even those only peripherally is the ongoing discussion on the Sea Slug related to our local fauna. Forum run by Dr. William Rudman at the Another largely pelagic group is discussed in a Australian Museum. He has had several recently released popular article (Nadis 1998). correspondents from California who have The siphonophores are mentioned as a major contacted him concerning the putative research area for MBARI (Monterey Bay introduction of Philine auriformis into Aquarium Research Institute) and their new California waters. He has been sent, and has deep-diving ROV the Tiburon. Although of dissected several specimens originally thought little use to us taxonomically, the article to be P. auriformis from intertidal collections in presents interesting information on the Bodega Bay. Michelle Chow, who has a distribution and activities of some of our local number of students who are investigating the 2 August, 1998 SCAMIT Newsletter Vol. 17, No.4 locally abundant and conspicuous Philine in and a finely sculptured shell. The question of the bay, supplied Dr. Rudman with photos and whether or not these are P. auriformis remains. specimens for his examination. Since he has The differences in reproductive and radular examined and reported on P. auriformis from morphology pointed out by Rudman may or its home waters in New Zealand, this was quite may not be contained within the variation of a valuable. single species. In particular the size of the radula may vary between populations in the The results of his dissections were, however, native range, and in an invading population in very surprising. He determined that there were response to differences in prey size and two species in the material sent, and that identity. neither of them was P. auriformis. He has termed them Philine sp. 1 and Philine sp. 2 As part of the Quality Control on the Bight ‘98 from California. Both are very large animals, sampling a series of large Philine were pure white, with large gizzard plates. In examined from sites around Catalina Island, Philine sp. 1 there are two asymmetrical and on the mainland. Although complete mirror-image plates of the same size, and one dissections were not performed, the gizzard smaller plate. In Philine sp. 2 all three plates plates of all specimens were examined. None are symmetrical and of equal size. Both had the reduced third plate which characterizes species have pits on the outside surface of the the introduced Philine No. 1 of Rudman from gizzard plates at their thickest point. There Bodega Bay. At least so far there is no appear to be differences in radula as well, and evidence that this species (whether P. orientalis dissections of the reproductive system have or another form) occurs in the Southern shown differing reproductive anatomy. In the California Bight. We will continue to call these initial dissection a broken duct lead to an animals P. auriformis (following Gosliner) erroneous evaluation of the structure in his sp. until their identity is established beyond 2, but further dissections have remedied this question. Rudman’s concern over the problem. differences between the archival animals he dissected from New Zealand and California Dr. Rudman still feels that Philine sp. 2 is what specimens from Bodega Bay (differences in we have called P. auriformis, but that the radular size and reproductive tract proportions) differences in the reproductive system and the is well founded, but neither seems sufficient to radula make that ID untenable. Terry Gosliner establish that our animal is not the same. has also been tracking this exchange, and maintains that the animal is P. auriformis. In his Seaslug Forum discussions Rudman Rudman feels that it is more likely to be an east raises again the specter of Philine bakeri. Asian species from Chinese or Japanese Forget it; P. bakeri is not the large animal waters. Philine sp.1 appears likely to be figured by Behrens, Abbott, and (original basis Philine orientalis from China, although there of the faux-pas) MacFarland. The animal they are some differences in fine structure of the call P. bakeri is P. alba. This animal, while denticles on the radular teeth, and the shell scarce in recent years, is still around. Several differs slightly in its anterior conformation. specimens were taken around Catalina and the northern Channel Islands during the Bight ‘98 We clearly have two species involved in sampling. Philine bakeri is a much smaller and California, at least in Bodega Bay there are more cylindrical species which we took in the two. I have examined specimens from other SCBPP in limited numbers. The shell is more southern locations, and have found them distinctive, with deeply incised spiral sculpture all to correspond to Rudman’s Type 2. They all which forms crenelations at the margin. It also have the uniform spindle shaped gizzard plates, has a sulcus where the posterior end of the 3 August, 1998 SCAMIT Newsletter Vol. 17, No.4 outer lip joins the spire. Maximum size of This yields a list of eight different forms from these animals (based on those few seen to date) California waters. Gosliner has identified two is probably 15mm. Although the species was other forms of modified philinids which he described by Dall based on shell only, the includes in the genus, but no descriptions are shells of our animals are dead ringers for Dall’s available, and it is unknown what these animals type (based on inspection at the Smithsonian are at present. One reputedly lacks both a shell by D. Cadien in 1992). and gizzard plates (and thus might be a philinoglossacean), while the other lacks Gosliner (1996) correctly deals with P. alba vs. gizzard plates. bakeri, but then suggests that P. bakeri, P. polystrigma (which he redescribes) and P.