| Macroclymenella stewartensis Augener, 1926. Family Maldanidae | ||||
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Macroclymenella stewartensis [Click photo for picture page] 
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| Habitat: | Intertidal. Soft shore. Bays and sheltered beaches. Fine sand. Infaunal. Depth range: 0-10 (m). Salinity regime: Estuary-like variation. Microhabitat: Burrows on low tide flats. Tube: J-tube of weakly mucous-cemented grains. | |||
| Occurrence: | Common to abundant. Density: 10-500 (m2).
Distribution in NZ: NZ wide, rare intertidally in central region. | |||
| Feeding guild: | Subsurface deposit-feeding/herbivore. | |||
| Diagnosis: | Genus Macroclymenella in Family Maldanidae.
Head segment characteristically tapers to cephalic plaque. Broad triangular palpode continuous with broad low cephalic keel extending at least 3/4 across plaque. Deep straight nuchal slits. Complete deep collar present on anterior of chaetiger 4, with smooth rim with dorso-lateral and ventral dips. Rostrate uncini from chaetiger one, together with capillary notochaetae. Chaetigers elongate from chaetiger 9 with chaetal ramus posteriorly-placed; neuropodial base enlarged from about chaetiger 12. Pygidial funnel with about 27 unequal cirri, alternating in length every 2nd or 3rd cirrus. Cirri longest ventrally with the mid-ventral longest. Colour: Pale brown. Multiple scattered pigment spots on ventral surface of palpode and adjoining rim, and also in pre-chaetal groups on chaetigers 1 to 5. Maximum size: 130 mm total length, 2 mm body width. |
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| Notable aspect: | 28-32 chaetigers with complete collar on chaetiger four. Rostrate uncini from chaetiger one. Pygidial funnel with alternating long and short cirri. Cephalic plaque narrower than head segment. | |||
| Comparisons: | M. stewartensis has a collar on chaetiger 4 (the collar of subtidal Maldane theodori is on chaetiger 1), whereas Axiothella serrata has no collar. | |||
| Taxonomy: | The genus is monotypic. Ecological reports prior to 1977 may misidentify this species as Axiothella quadrimaculata or A. australis. | |||
| Distribution: | Endemic. Unreported elsewhere. | |||
| Biology: | Conveyor-belt feeder at around 10-15 cm depth. Macroclymenella stewartensis is present in abundance on the intertidal flats in harbours such as Manukau, Tauranga, and Otago Harbours, also in coastal shallows, and is even found on open coasts intertidally in favourable spots. In the Nelson-Marlborough-Wellington region it is mostly replaced by Axiothella serrata, at least intertidally. | |||
| Best References: | Biology: No recommendation. Taxonomy: Augener (1926) Papers from Dr. Th. Mortensen's Pacific Expedition 1914-16. 34. Polychaeta III. Polychaeten von Neuseeland. II. Sedentaria. Videnskabelige Meddelelser fra Dansk naturhistorisk Forening, København 81:157-294. | |||
| More information: |
Synonyms, NZ records | Original figures | Original description details | |
| Genus diagnosis | More pictures | Further references (biology, etc) | Family Maldanidae | |
| Internet sources: |
GOOGLE Search | AlltheWeb Search | CISTI | CBIF BiOSC Gateway | GOBASE Molecular | GenBank | Genus only in GenBank | | |||
| Genus only in Ubio Taxonomic Name Server | PubMed | Scirus | Zoological Record | | ||||
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