Aglaophamus Kinberg, 1865
Aglaophamus sp. 1
Voucher. VINSON WEST: station 38MFB.
Diagnosis. Small to medium sized species; voucher incomplete, 8mm long and 2mm wide for 23 chaetigers long fragment.
Prostomium subspherical, about as wide as long, with a distinct V-shaped posterior margin, extending over the first chaetiger; with a pair of nuchal organs near the posterior corners of prostomium; a pair of conical antennae in the anterior corners of the prostomium and a pair of palps inserted posteriorly on ventrum the prostomium. Proboscis not everted.
Branchiae (inter-ramal cirri) involute; appearing from chaetiger 4, small, increasing in size and present until the end of 23 chaetigers long fragment; not coiled, mostly straight and only distally curved inwards. Parapodia biramous; unadorned - no particularly enlarged lobes present, with the exception of superior lobe over notopodia, which is erect and enlarged (refer to the image for details); preacicular lobes rudimentary in both rami; acicular lobes sharply conical with a single acicula in both rami; postchaetal lobe in neuropodia somewhat enlarged, but not exceeding the tip of acicular lobe. Neuropodia with a distinct small, conical protuberance (refer to images). Dorsal cirrus small, conical in chaetiger 1; in subsequent chaetiger, very slender, cirriform, reaching up to 1/3 of the length of corresponding branchia where longest. Ventral cirri particularly well developed in chaetiger 1, where skittle-shaped (slender, but with wider base and thin distally); well developed in other chaetigers, tapering, cirriform.
Preacicular chaetae stout, cross-barred in both rami. Postacicular chaetae in notopodia long, stouter spinulose and these are extremely long in neuropodia, appearing silky (shining and silvery). Pygidium not observed.
Remarks. This Aglaophamus species has very long postacicular chaetae in neuropodia, with silky appearance. Of the known species of Aglaophamus known from the area, it is most similar to A. digitatus Hartman, 1967 in form of parapodia sharply conical acicular lobes, enlarged lobes above notopodia and importantly the presence of small conical protuberance on neuropodia. Two species differ in the shape of prostomium (very narrow and elongated in A. digitatus), start of the branchiae (from chaetiger 7, not 4 in A. digitatus) and form of dorsal cirrus (foliose, not cirriform in A. digitatus). This specimen likely represent a new species, however greater number of specimens and observation of proboscis will be necessary to fully diagnose this species.
