| Brevibrachium maculatum (Estcourt, 1966). Family Onuphidae | ||||
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Brevibrachium maculatum lateral head [Click photo for picture page] 
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| Identification tips: | F. Onuphidae. Forward-directed first few parapodia, and jaws present. Thick parchment tube lining. Distinctive colour pattern(s) present. | |||
| Habitat: | Marine shelf. Known from mollusc shell. In gastropods. In self-created shell-borings. Recorded from living shells of New Zealand commercial shellfish: Haliotis iris. Tube lining constructed of clear secretion. Tube chimney absent. | |||
| Nomenclature: | Genus Brevibrachium in Family Onuphidae. Brevibrachium maculatum. Described by Estcourt, published in 1966, as Rhamphobrachium maculatum. Type locality: New Zealand, Three Kings Islands. Other synonyms: None recorded. Transferred to Brevibrachium by Paxton (1986). Also earlier reported as Rhamphobrachium chuni (not Ehlers) | |||
| Description: | Head region: Short antennae and tentacular cirri present. Eyespots present. Calcified mandibles present. Jaws present. Colouration: Dorsal pigmentation pattern present; dark anterior dorsal pigmentation present. Dark anterior pigmentation on some anterior chaetigers. Branchiae, chaetae, and pygidium: Branchiae adjoining parapodia absent anteriorly, present from chaetiger 15-17 as strap-like filaments, absent posteriorly. Parapodial lobes present, subbiramous (notopodial lobe reduced to branchiae and dorsal cirri). Anterior 3 pairs of parapodia extended forward, each with 6-8 long thin simple hook-tipped chaetae. From chaetiger 4 chaetae include capillaries, comb-like chaetae, and thick bidentate subacicular hooks (from chaetiger 8-9). | |||
| Dimensions: | Length 45 mm. Width 2 mm. Segment total 110. | |||
| Reproduction: | Direct development from large eggs laid inside the tube. | |||
| Distribution: | Not known to be invasive or anthropochoric. Global distribution includes New Zealand mainland and Australia.. | |||
| Remarks: | The 'unusual' reproduction of this species was briefly reported in a note to Nature. | |||
| Biology: | This species is also reported to burrow in limestone and to attach its tube within algal holdfasts. Feeding group: Surface omnivore. | |||
| Best References: | Biology: Smith and Jensz (1968) Unusual mode of reproduction in a new species of polychaete.. Nature 218:777 Taxonomy: Paxton (1986) Revision of the Rhamphobrachium complex, Polychaeta: Onuphidae. Records of the Australian Museum 38:75-104. | |||
| More information: |
Synonyms, NZ records | Original figures | Original description details | |
| Genus diagnosis | More pictures | Further references (biology, etc) | Family Onuphidae | |
| 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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