Brychionoe is a genus of marine annelids in the family Polynoidae (scale worms). The genus includes a single species, Brychionoe karenae, which is long-bodied and occurs in the Tasman Sea at depths of 1100–1300 m.[2]

Brychionoe
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Annelida
Clade: Pleistoannelida
Subclass: Errantia
Order: Phyllodocida
Family: Polynoidae
Genus: Brychionoe
Hanley & Burke, 1991
Type species
Brychionoe karenae Hanley & Burke, 1991[1]

Description edit

Body with 65 to 90 or more segments and 47 to 87 pairs of elytra; on the posterior-most region, the elytra occur on every segments (rather than on alternating segments, as in most Polynoidae). The tips of the notopodia and neuropodia, and the ventral cirri, all have numerous papillae. Some neurochaetae have forked tips (with 2 terminal teeth of similar size).[2]

Although Brychionoe currently contains a single described species, an additional record of an unidentified species in this genus was reported from the Indian Ocean by Serpetti et al. (2017).[3]

Biology and ecology edit

Brychionoe karenae has a commensal relationship with the antipatharian coral, Leiopathes sp..

References edit

  1. ^ Read, G.; Fauchald, K. (Ed.) (2020). World Polychaeta database. Brychionoe Hanley & Burke, 1991. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=324933
  2. ^ a b Hanley, J. Russell and Burke, Melanie 1991. A new genus and species of scaleworm (Polycheta: Polynoidae) from the Cascade Plateau, Tasman Sea. The Beagle, Records of the Northern Territory Museum of Arts and Sciences, 8(1): 97-102
  3. ^ Serpetti N, Taylor ML, Brennan D, Green DH, Rogers AD, Paterson GLJ, Narayanaswamy BE (2017) Ecological adaptations and commensal evolution of the Polynoidae (Polychaeta) in the Southwest Indian Ocean Ridge: A phylogenetic approach. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 137: 273–281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2016.06.004.