Protula bispiralis (Savigny 1822) Savigny 1822
- Dataset
- Serpulidae (Annelida) of Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
- Rank
- SPECIES
Classification
- kingdom
- Animalia
- phylum
- Annelida
- class
- Polychaeta
- order
- Sabellida
- family
- Serpulidae
- genus
- Protula
- species
- Protula bispiralis
diagnosis
Diagnosis. Largest Australian species. Conspicuous radioles as evidenced by numerous pictures in field guides (however often mistaken for feather duster worms (Sabellidae) or for Christmas tree worms (Spirobranchus) and vice versa, and even in a travel guide (Finlay et al. 1998: 80 )). Radioles white, reddish or mottled, arranged in two spires of up to 6 whorls, up to 4 cm across and 4.5 cm high (Fig. 15 D).
discussion
Remarks. The nominal taxon is badly in need of revision. Though usually reported from the tropical region, it was mentioned from cold-temperate areas as the Cape, South Africa and Stewart Island, New Zealand (e. g., Day 1967: 818 – 820; Augener 1926: 276 – 277), a very unlikely distributional pattern. Opinion 1461 in the Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 44 (3): 219 – 220 gives as date for Savigny's paper 1822 (as opposed to the generally circulating 1820).
distribution
Distribution. Currently unknown.
materials_examined
Material examined. AM W. 28302, North Point, 14 ° 40 ' S, 145 ° 28 ' E, sloping reef with sand & thinly silted corals, coll. R. Smith & C. J. Watson, 1 Mar 1986; AM W. 42245, Yonge Reef, back reef bommie, north channel, 14 ° 36 ' S, 145 ° 37 ' E, rubble, coll. R. Smith, 6 Nov 1985; AM W. 42247, same; ZMA V. Pol. 4762, stn. 17, Palfrey Island, south of lighthouse, 14 ° 40 ' S, 145 ° 28 ' E, coral heads on sandy bottom, 7 m, coll. H. ten Hove, P. Hutchings & M. Reid, 2 Mar 1986; SAM stn. G 238, east lagoon near Bird Islet, 10 m, 31 Oct 2005, photo by G. Rouse in situ, specimen not taken.