Sabellaria vulgaris

Description. Specimen complete. Body colorless, 11.5 mm long, 1 mm wide, with three parathoracic segments, 16 abdominal segments, without caudal peduncle (Fig. 11 A – B, D). Opercular crown and opercular stalk partially fused (Fig. 11 A). Opercular disc with three rows of amber paleae; outer paleae row with 25 paleae per lobe, middle and inner rows each with 12 – 15 paleae per lobe. Outer paleae with 3 – 4 pairs of lateral teeth; blade flat, oblong, three times longer than wide; thecae transverse with finely serrate margins (Fig. 12 A). Medial spike straight, short, 1 / 5 as long as blade, smooth basally, penicillate along distal half (Fig. 12 B). Middle paleae geniculate, short, almost 1 / 5 as long as outer paleae; blade bent at an angle of 115 ° to 125 ° in dorsal to ventral paleae; thecae transverse with finely serrate margins; tip blunt (Fig. 12 C – D). Blade base concave with one lateral expansion (Fig. 12 D). In dorsal view, the middle paleae blade three times wider basally than in tip, tapered from the middle blade section; tip slightly bent (Fig. 12 E). Inner paleae geniculate, almost as long as middle paleae; blade concave directed inwards; thecae transverse with finely serrate margins; tip blunt, sharp (Fig. 12 F). Opercular stalk pale yellow with some dark spots (Fig. 11 A – B). Nuchal spines not observed. Tentacles pale with brownish mottling, almost imperceptible (Fig. 11 D – E). Palps pale, shorter than the opercular stalk. Median ridge as long as the opercular stalk, with dark marginal eyespots. Median organ rhomboidal (Fig. 11 E). Building organ slightly darker basally. Thorax colorless, without notochaetae. Chaetiger 1 with a pair of neuropodia bearing capillary chaetae. Chaetiger 2 with capillary neurochaetae and a pair of cirri and branchiae. Parathorax with three colorless segments, all with one pair of branchiae. Notopodia with seven lanceolate chaetae and nine capillary chaetae (Fig. 12 G). Neurochaetae lanceolate, thinner than notochaetae. Abdominal segments colorless, all with paired branchiae decreasing in size posteriorly. Neurochaetae verticillate. Notopodia with a series of uncini with 4 – 5 transverse rows of teeth (Fig. 12 H). Caudal peduncle lost. Tubes. With coarse sand grains and shell fragments (Fig. 12 I). Variation. Body 9 – 13 mm in total length, 1 mm wide, with 11 – 22 abdominal segments, caudal peduncle 1.5 – 2 mm long. Opercular crown made of 14 – 25 outer paleae per lobe, 7 – 16 middle paleae per lobe, and 7 – 15 inner paleae per lobe. Some complete specimens with caudal peduncle smooth, translucent (Fig. 11 F). One mature specimen, female, with oocytes about 35 µm in diameter (Fig. 11 F).

Figures 11 A – F, 12 A – I

Remarks. Sabellaria vulgaris has medial spike penicillate similar to those present in S. salazari n. sp. and S. wilsoni. However, S. vulgaris has outer paleae with a short medial spike 1 / 5 as long as the blade, whereas in S. salazari n. sp. and S. wilsoni the medial spike is longer, 1 / 2 or 1 / 3 as long as blade, respectively. Also, the middle paleae of S. vulgaris are shorter than the outer paleae, whereas, in the other two species, their middle paleae are long, twice the length of the outer paleae.

Distribution. New England to the Gulf of Mexico (Rioja 1946, Kirtley 1994), in intertidal to sublittoral waters.

Material examined. Florida. UF 6267, colony, Flager County (29 ° 39 ’ 45.1 ” N 81 ° 12 ’ 33.6 ” W), 0 – 1 m, exposed beach intertidal, February 21, 2015, coll. Gustav Paulay.