I've recently found in some benthic macrofauna muddy samples a strange worm (at least to me) that resembles a Protocapitella sp. or an Oligochaeta. The specimens look like a capitellid and have capillary setae in the notopodia and bifid hooks in the neuropodia along the entire body. However, I did not see any branchiae and I was not able to see any scars from the branchiae, which poses me some doubts if it could be a Protocapitella or any other capitellid. Since I'm not an Oligochaeta expert, I was wondering if any expert could help me?
Dear Roberto
For some reason I cannot see any photo. Perhaps you did add it, but I can't see anything. Is it possible to send me those to ton.vanhaaren{at}grontmij.nl
In capitellids the hairs are mostly restricted to the first segments (usually
The oligochaetes I found in my samples only have bidentate hooks, so if your specimen has capillary setae it is probably not an oligochaete. Also, many capitellids don't have branchia, so it might be another genera of capitellid. The capitellid I found from 100-350 m deep in western Canada all have multidentate hooded hooks (anterior segments only have capillary setae), so the hooks have a main tooth and few very small secondary tooth over the main one. This is only visible under 1000x magnification (oil). I hope this will help you.
Dear Roberto
You can contact with Dr. Sermin Acik ([email protected]) who deals with marine oligochaetes
the absence of hairs is not entirely true for marine oligochaetes for there are some marine oligochaete species with hairs (e.g. some Tubificoides). However they have bifid chaetae mostly with a smaller distal tooth with hairs in the dorsal bundles and the same bifids in the ventral bundles
It is hard to tell from your description what this could be. What did the prostomium look like? If I had to guess, I would likely lean towards Capitellid, however, is it possible for you to take and upload a picture? It would be much easier to identify it if I could see it. Please feel free to email me ([email protected]) if you do not feel like posting the pictures online!
Good luck!
Travis
Three small hints.
Marine tubificid oligochaetes may have either hair and short (mostly bifid) chaetae, or only short chaetae in their dorsal bundles. If your worm has only hair chaetae in dorsal bundles, then it is very probably no oligochaete.
Would the bifid chaetae be hooded, the worm is very probably no oligochaete.
If revealing any reproductive organs concentrated in the chaetiger segments IX-XII, the worm may be an oligochaete.
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