Cirrophorus Ehler, 1908
Genus Cirrophorus Ehlers, 1908
Cirrophorus cf. furcatus (Hartman, 1957) sensu Strelzov, 1973
Voucher. Sea Lion: Station 41MFC
Diagnosis. Small sized species; voucher specimen is incomplete with 50 segments, 4mm long and 0.5 mm wide; anterior part of the body enlarged and dorsoventrally flattened, cylindrical posteriorly; colour in alcohol reddish brown, with darkest pigmentation in prostomium and prebranchial segments.
Prostomium slightly pear-shaped; prostomial antenna very short (not protruding beyond the prostomium), cirriform, unlike prostomium not stained (contrast well as it appears white against prostomium); nuchal organs present as short slits in posterior part of prostomium, partially covered by peristomium.
Branchiae from chaetiger 4, 19 pairs in voucher specimen (but variable in other specimens), first and last pair shortest, other branchiae long (overlapping at midline), tapering distally into acute tips , the last branchiae (where present) short.
Notopodial postchaetal lobes small, digiform in prebranchial segments, lengthening throughout, longest in mid-branchial region–about half the length of corresponding branchiae, getting small again in posterior segments.
Notochaetae long capillaries, most dense in anterior part of the body, some extremely long and modified lyrate (forked) chaetae, lyrate chaetae from chaetiger 5 (very difficult to observed as notochaetae very dense), becoming obvious from around chaetiger 15, 2 per fascicle; lyrates with unequal tines with long filamentous tips, both with inner edges serrated. Neurochaetae capillaries only, most dense in anterior part of the body, some extremely long. Pygidium not observed.
Remarks. FI specimens agree most with C. furcatus Strelzov, 1973 descriptions in size and shape of antenna, branchiae from chaetiger 4 and form of notopodial lobes (very long in branchial segments, getting smaller in postbranchial segments). However, the striking reddish pigmentation was not commented on by Strelzov. Neither was the presence of extremely long capillary noto- and neurochaetae (in addition to shorter ones) observed in FI specimens. Also he noted appearance of lyrate chaetae from chaetiger 3.
Blake (1996) provided a description of C. furcatus from deep water of California, but in his description of the size of notopodial lobes, reducing in size from prebranchial to branchial chaetigers, was in contrast to their description in Strelzov. Given the inconsistencies in characters descriptions and subsequent identification by various authors it is very difficult to arrive at conclusion about the identity of FI specimens without re-examining the type specimens and specimens from other localities. There is also a species of Cirrophorus reported from Southern Ocean–C. brevicciratus Strelov, 1973–which differs from FI specimen in possessing blister-like antenna (not developed in small specimens) and short notopodial lobes in branchial segments.
Additional work will be necessary to confirm if FI specimens with their striking pigmentation, long notopodial lobes in branchial regions and very long capillaries in fact represent a new species. In the meantime we refer the FI offshore material to Cirrophorus cf. furcatus (Hartman, 1957) (sensu Strelzov, 1973). The reddish pigmentation, which is particularly pronounced in the most anterior body region, makes this species easy to distinguish from all other paranoid species in FI material.
