During the processing of specimens collected in the
Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea by expeditions on the 'Sevastopol'
in 1957-1959 and the 'Tunets' in 1978 a new ampharetid genus was
discovered.
Diagnosis. Prostomium alobate, without glandular fields, ridges and eyes. Buccal tentacles pinnate (?). No paleae. Two pairs of cirriform branchiae in a single line separated medially by a wide interval. 12 thoracic setigerous segments (TSS), the last 10 of which have. transverse ridge.
Type species: Zatsepinia rittichae
sp. n.
Remarks. Generally acknowledged to be the main generic taxonomic characters of the Ampharetinae (Day, 1964; Fauchald, 1977) are: 1) the structure of the prostomiun (the presence or absence of glandular ridges and fields and the number of lobes; 2) the number of branchiae; 3) the presence or absence of pinnation on the buccal tentacles; 4) the presence or absence of paleae; 5) number of TSS; 6) the presence or absence of modified notopodia.
Of the ampharetid genera having a simple prostomium
(without glandular ridges and lobes) and no paleae, only two -
Melinnoides Renham, 1927 and Auchenoplax Ehlers,
1887 - have 2 pairs of branchiae and 12 TSS, the last 10 of which
bear neuropodia. They both have displaced ventral neuropodia on
the first TSS and have no modified notopodia on the thorax.
Etymology. The genus is named after Vladimir
Ivanovich Zatsepin who investigated the benthos and polychaetes
of the northern seas of the USSR.
Material. Collections of L.A. Rittikh: E/V Sevastopol', station 1585 (1 specimen) - 7116.4'N, 2536.2 'E, 315 m, bottom temperature 4.27C; station 2585 (3 specimens) - 6149'N, 521'W, 175 m, 8.84C, collections of author: E/V Tunets, station ll (1 specimen, holotype, cut in two between abdominal setigerous segments III and IV) - 71'10'N, 17'00'E, 345-357 m, 4.16C. The holotype is deposited in the collection of the Zoological museum of the University of Moscow (No. 301 Pl), the remaining specimens are to be found in the collection of the General Ecology and Hydrobiology Department of the University.
Description. Prostomium alobate, without
glandular fields, ridges and eyes (Figure, a) buccal tentacles
pinnate (?). No paleae. Two pairs of cirriform branchiae in a
single line separated medially by a gap. 12 TSS, the last 10 of
which have neuropodia. Notopodia of 11th TSS displaced medially
and joined by a transverse ridge (Figure á)
17 abdominal setigerous segments without cirri and rudimentary
notopodia. Pygidium without cirri, with numerous anal papillae.
Notosetae uniform on 11th TSS (Figure â)
and remaining ones (Figure ã).
Neurosetae (Figure ä)
with 4 teeth in 2 rows in a staggered arrangement. Length without
branchiae up to 8.5 mm, width up to 0.5 mm. Tube muddy, fairly
frail, cylindrical, long, thin-walled, without concentric transverse
structur.e and virtually unencrusted.
Etymology. Species named in honor of Lyudmila Aleksandrovna Rittikh who studied the benthos of the northern seas of the USSR.
Figure. Zatsepinia rittichae
[Literature cited not included. Please see original text]