scamit newsletter vol. 17 no. 5 1998 september

SUBJECT: Bight ‘98 Trawl Invertebrates

GUEST SPEAKER: None - Don cadien or Ron Velarde (CSDMWWD)Discussion Leader

DATE: Monday, 19 October1998

TIME: 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p. m.

LOCATION: SCCWRP7171 Fenwick LaneWestminister, CA

FUNDS FOR THIS PUBLICATION PROVIDED, IN PART BYTHE ARCO FOUNDATION, CHEVRON, USA, AND TEXACO INC.

SCAMIT Newsletter in not deemed to be valid publication for formal taxonomic purposes.

September, 1998 Vol. 17, No. 5SCAMIT Newsletter

Epialtoides hiltonio (Rathbun, 1923) from San DiegoBay (Original photo by Rick Rowe CSDMWWD )

19 OCTOBER MEETING

This meeting will be the first to examine thecollections from Bight’98 field sampling.Our first concern will be the invertebratestaken during otter trawling. Since samplingwas conducted both in harbors and aroundthe Channel Islands, we were expectingdifferent things to be taken than in 1994.They were. Voucher specimens will be onhand for examination, but FID materials tobe presented or discussed should be broughtby participants. Those of us who found oursites routine will be surprised at the varietyencountered by other agencies.

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September, 1998 Vol. 17, No.5SCAMIT Newsletter

CHACE BIRTHDAY

Dr. Fenner Chace reaches his 90th birthday on 5October 1998. A celebration will be held at theSmithsonian on that date to honor his 62 yearrecord of contribution to science. He has beenretired since 1978, but continues to function asan Emeritus Curator, occupying a corner officeon the Crustacean floor. Letters of tribute,congratulations and good wishes from friendsand colleagues are solicited for presentation atthe gathering. If you have something to offer,please send it in as soon as you can to Dr.Kristian Fauchald, Chairman, Dept. ofInvertebrate Zoology, NHB 153, SmithsonianInstitution, Washington, D. C., 20560-0163.Late contributions would also be welcome, butwould have less impact. We all owe Dr. Chaceour gratitude for the myriad contributions hehas made over the years, and is still making asthis is written.

BOB OSBORN 1946-1998

In past pages of the NL we have mentioned thepassing of prominent researchers, but we havehad little occasion to lament the passing of ourown. Now we do. Bob Osborn died in hishome sometime before the 17th of September1998. Many of us in SCAMIT knew Bob as afriend, co-worker or colleague (he was amember early in SCAMIT history). He was

trained, as were many of us, in the lab of Dr.Donald Reish at Long Beach State (nowCalifornia State University, Long Beach). Hehad studied earlier with Dr. Jules Crane atCerritos Junior College. Bob then moved to theAllan Hancock Foundation, where he workedfor a number of years in the Harbors Projectunder Dr. Dorothy Soule and Dr. Miki Oguri.He also took part in the BLM project in the late70’s under Dr. Kristian Fauchald and Dr. GilJones. Bob was a polychaete taxonomist, anddid much of the polychaete identification inprojects directed by Dr. Soule. When requiredhe also identified other groups. He was alsoemployed at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium(then a Museum) for a time. When workslowed at USC, Bob joined MarineBiological Consultants for several years,identifying polychaetes there as well.Eventually he was forced into prematureretirement by a lifelong affliction. Ondisability, and unable to accept employment,Bob volunteered his time at Cabrillo,keeping up the collections and displays frombehind the scenes. He also engaged in awide range of educational pursuits, and, tothe extent his limited income allowed,collected unusual items. He is, for instance,the only person I know who had large anddiverse collections of locks and scissors.

Growing up in Downey in the 50’s, Bobacquired a deep affection for Doo-Wopwhich he never lost. His musical horizonswere much broader, however, and I spentmany happy hours listening to and talkingabout music with him. In part because ofhis illness, Bob was concerned withnutrition. Survivors of his grape juice andcheese diet can attest to the inventiveness ofhis approach to healthy foodstuffs. He liveda solitary life, but had many, many friends.The demands and limitations of his illnesscurtailed his sociability in recent years, andhe traveled hardly at all. A combination of lackof funds, and persistent insomnia in unfamiliarlocales kept Bob from getting around much.Many friends gradually lost touch, but few

Bob Osborn about to eat some worms with SueWilliams at a SCAMIT party in 1986

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ceased to care about him. He was a gentlesoul, an interesting conversationalist, anobserver and lover of the natural world, and agood friend. He is survived by his father, asister, and a brother. —Don Cadien

ISOPOD NEWSLETTER

Number 31 of the Isopod Newsletter has beensent out to subscribers (a free subscription).Editor Brian Kensley is taking the Newsletterelectronic, and will be distributing future issuesvia e-mail to all connected recipients. If youreceive the Newsletter, and have not yet givenhim your e-mail address (or if yours haschanged) contact him [email protected]. He is hoping todiscontinue paper production, just as we are.This issue had a summary of activities at theSecond International Isopod Conference, heldin Amsterdam in conjunction with the FourthInternational Crustacean Congress. Papersresulting from the conference will becollected and released as an upcomingnumber in the serial Crustacean Issues.Plans are underway for the next meeting, tobe held in Sydney in 2001 in conjunctionwith the Fifth International CrustaceanCongress (to be held in Melbourne).

LAST GASP

The Bight’98 field season came to an officialend with a three day cruise around theNorthern Channel Islands on the ChannelIslands National Marine Sanctuary(CINMS) vessel Ballena. On board were theskipper Steve Beckwith, CINMS ResearchDirector Sarah Fangman, CINMS volunteerSarah McWilliams, Dario Diehl and DavidTsukada from SCCWRP, and Don Cadienfrom CSDLAC. The cruise goal was collectionof trawl and infaunal samples from a fewremaining original sites and from a fewreplacement sites.

Since the majority of the bottom around theislands is rocky (especially inshore) the rateof successful sampling at occupied stationswas relatively low compared to mainlandareas. Long transit time from and to port inSanta Barbara the first and last days meantrelatively short sampling days. Naturallythe best had been saved for last, includingsites NW of San Miguel Island which seaconditions had not allowed to be sampled inprevious attempts, and sites on the SantaRosa Ridge far from any land. We had triedto sample there earlier in the month, buthad been weathered out. This time our luckheld, and we were able to work for the fullthree days.

Substrate problems continued and severalsites were visited, surveyed, and abandoned.Only one of the benthic sites could besampled. It yielded a number of jars ofrelatively coarse medium sand/gravel/shellhash. The only large animals visible on thescreen (large is used loosely here) werepagurids, one occupying an emptyscaphopod shell.

The trawl catches proved more interesting,and produced several additions to theSCAMIT Ed 3 listing. Perhaps mostexciting was from Station 2491 in 90m ofwater off the NW tip of San Miguel Island.This was the very westernmost portion ofthe Bight except for Point Conception itself.In this trawl, as in most over these islandbottoms, some rock was encountered basedon the animals taken. Several nudibranchscame up including a medium sizedDendronotus iris, a Tritonia diomedea, a lovelyTochuina tetraquetra, and two Acanthodorishudsoni. This last item has the same basecolor pattern as Cadlina luteomarginata -yellow rhinophores, yellow gills, and yellowspots on the dorsum; but has elongate papillaeon the back, not the low tubercles of Cadlina.This species is reported from the Bight, but isnew to the SCAMIT list.

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A number of small delicate spider crabs weretaken which were a dirty ivory banded withbrown on their elongate chelae and legs. Theseproved to be Erileptus spinosus, and nearly allwere males. They adopted a curious anddistinctive posture when handled. The bodywas held erect, with the rostrum in the air, andthe chelae and legs were extended in a bundlepointed obliquely forward. Thus the crab had aclear view of what was approaching it from thefront, and brought the long chelae into playwithin this visual field. This posture wasrigidly held until the animals were ultimatelypreserved. The smaller female has muchshorter limbs, a broader body, and a shorterrostrum. Were it not for their being collectedtogether, the relationship between them wouldbe difficult to see. This disparity is what led totheir original description as different species indifferent genera.

Several other interesting species were takenincluding a fine large Ophionereiseurybrachyplax, a series of clumps ofCoenocyathus bowersi, both hatched andstill-occupied ratfish (Hydrolagus colliei) eggcases, and the empty egg case of a big skate(Raja bioculata). The egg case (nearly 10inches long) was interesting in itself, but itscontents were more so. Inside the spent eggcase were several large flatworms(Discosolenia burchami), several small clams(Kellia suborbicularis), and a limpet. Thisproved to be Addisonia brophyi, a member ofa family (the Addisoniidae) living exclusivelyon elasmobranch egg cases. Ron Velardehas seen this species in the San Diego area,but this is the first listing for SCAMIT. Thisis also the first record of the species from arajiid egg case, all other records have beenfrom scyllorhinid shark egg cases.

We took a specimen of the aegid isopod Aegalecontii, at one station, an as-yet-unidentifiedalcyonacean octocoral (near Anthomastus) atseveral others, and various spongeswhenever we encountered rock. The hermitcrab sponge, Suberites suberea, was not

taken during this cruise, although encounteredon several others. We caught fish too, but Ireally can’t comment on those since I wasattentive to the invertebrates, and not to the fishcatch.

The islands themselves were beautiful. Burnedsere and brown by the summer and a generallack of water, they contrasted starkly with theblue of the sea and the white of the beaches.On our first night anchorage at Tyler Bight nearthe west end of San Miguel we wereentertained (all night long I might add) by achorus of sea lions and sea elephants hauledout on the beaches nearby. Hundreds ofanimals could be seen with binoculars, but theywere just a bit too distant to see in detail. Wesaw none in the water near the Ballena. A niceway to end the field season, eh? Now to theFID bags, to finish the data.

P.S. - you should visit the CINMS website andread Sarah Fangman’s journal entry on thetrawl intercalibration exercise aboard theOcean Sentinel just before Bight’98 trawlingbegan. Find it at:

http://www.cinms.nos.noaa.gov.

NEW LITERATURE

During Bight’98 (and its precursor, theSCBPP) we have spent a great deal of timeand effort on coordination andstandardization between participants togenerate comparable data from a number ofdifferent observers and programs. Thesame problems of observer bias are dealtwith in a recent paper by Thompson andMapstone (1997). Their particular interestis in fish visual counts and identifications byin situ observers but consideration of theirapproach to the problem of bias isinstructive.

Cladistic reanalysis of relationships withinand between groups continues to be aproductive topic, as the technique is used toaddress problem areas in traditional

http://www.cinms.nos.noaa.gov./

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classifications. Weygoldt (1998) considers therelationships within the Chelicerata. He alsoplaces himself among those who consider theArthropoda to still be the appropriate phylumlevel taxon for jointed legged animals.Although many of the included groups areterrestrial, and much of the argument in thispaper concerns them, the position andderivation of the Pycnogonida is dealt with.

Lüter and Bartolomaeus (1997) review thephylogenetic position of brachiopods. Theiranalysis is based on consideration of bothmorphological and molecular data. Theauthors are still dissatisfied with the numberof morphological characters available, andwith the paucity of DNA and RNAmolecular sequence data, and view theirresults as tentative. Since the two lines ofevidence failed to converge, their reticence iswell founded. They found evidence for bothspiralian and deuterostome relationships inthe brachiopods. Molecular data continuesto suggest association with spiralian taxasuch as Annelida and Mollusca, whilemorphological data (primarilyembryological) supports deuterostomederivation. The authors were not able tofully resolve the discrepancies, but point outthat such results call analyses based on onlymorphological or only molecular evidenceinto question.

Ever since chemically fueled communitieswere discovered around the Galapagos Riftthe symbiosis of sulphur-oxidizing bacteriaand other organisms has been a hot topic.Distel (1998) provides a nice summary of theendosymbiont system in bivalve molluscs. Theevolutionary history of both the hosts and thesymbionts is examined, and the antiquity of therelationship stressed. Their cladistic analysisof endosymbiont bacteria based on 1126nucleotide positions suggested that symbiontacquisition has happened repeatedly inbivalves, and is not the result of a single event.Two main groups of symbionts were identified,

one associated with mytilid and vesicomyidspecies, and a second associated with lucinids,solemyids, vestimentiferans, annelids andnematodes.

SCAMIT treasurer Ann Dalkey’sdescription of the old Lepedipecreum sp A hasnow been published (Dalkey 1998). Thespecies is now L. serraculum. Great job Ann,we all need to follow in your footsteps andfinally get out those manuscripts that havebeen sitting around gathering dust. Ourstock of provisionally named arthropodscontinues to diminish; a welcome trend. Thispaper was partially supported by theSCAMIT Publications Fund, and isSCAMIT Contribution No. (lucky) 13.

In the same issue of the Proceedings of theBiological Society of Washington Lambert(1998) describes two new species ofPentamera from the west coast, oneoccurring in the Bight. He includes both akey and tabular summary to the twelvedescribed species occurring in the easternPacific, and provides whole bodyillustrations of both his new species - awelcome addition.

USED LITERATURE

Dr. Susan Williams has made a seconddonation of reprints to SCAMIT. They werefor distribution to whatever members mightwish to take and use them. During a recentmeeting the stacks of reprints were gonethrough by those in attendance and anumber of items were selected and takenhome. The remaining items have beenadded to the SCAMIT Library, maintainedat the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. Our thanksto Sue for her generosity. We have allbenefitted from it. Hopefully we will fullycatalogue the Library contents in the future,making them much more accessible to themembers. [By the way, Sue is fine. You cansee her in the photo of Bob Osborn, which shekindly provided for inclusion in the briefreminiscence of him.]

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Dr. Don Reish has also made a portion of hisreprints available to SCAMIT members. Heshould be contacted with requests byinterested parties.

MY BIOLOGICAL LIFE

Donald J. ReishChapter 10: The Hartman Years: Part 2

Fred Ziesenhenne had collectedinvertebrates before WWII. Hartman and Icombined his collection of polychaetes withmy masters thesis to produce the MarineAnnelids of Oregon which was published inthe Oregon State College Press. It was theonly paper we did together.

Dr. Hartman did not go to scientificmeetings. She said that if they wanted to seeher they could come to HancockFoundation; many did over the years, andeven after I left the USC campus she oftencalled to tell me that so and so was going tobe in town. I was grateful to her for thesechances to meet many polychaete workersover the years. She did, however, attend twomeetings at Berkeley; one was an AAASmeeting and the other a pollution meeting. Ialso heard her give a lecture when USChonored her as Researcher of the Year. Sheoften showed me letters or manuscriptssubmitted to her for evaluation. I can’tremember of her ever approving a MS assubmitted.

I do not think Dr. Hartman liked Dr. Pettibone.However, they had some things in common.They both taught in a private high schoolbefore starting on their doctoral work after theage of 30. She didn’t want her doctoral thesispublished by the University of WashingtonPress.

We never discussed personal matters. Peopleasked soon after I arrived at Hancock ifHartman was married. I didn’t know; it wastwo years or more after my arrival before Ilearned she was married to Anker Petersen, herartist. I admit I was puzzled since Petersendidn’t come to work until 12 noon. Obviously,

they took turns baby sitting their daughter(Remember, I heard a baby crying when Italked to Dr. Hartman on the phone in 1948.).After Petersen quit his job at Hancock, howshe got her drawings made became even morepuzzling . (She had a microscope at home.).One day after Petersen had quit, I noticedthat Dr. Hartman was wearing a weddingring, but it was on her right ring fingerwhich is customary among Danish people.Her husband was from Denmark. In lateryears she mentioned that the 3 of them hadgone to Denmark. This was the onlycomment she ever made to me about herfamily.

A few days before I married Janice both Dr.Hartman and I went on a two day trip onVelero IV (her first trip aboard the vessel).She never mentioned my up-comingwedding during the cruise, but the crewmade the usual joking comments. I had senther a wedding invitation, but she didn’tcome. She did send a gift (a cook book). Youcan, therefore, sense that the relationshipwas very formal. It remained that way the 4years I had space in room 30 and for 5 moreyears while I was in a lab nearby. Accordingto Kristian Fauchald, she became lessformal in later years. She appreciated mydedicating “Marine Life of SouthernCalifornia” to her, Dr. Ivan Pratt, and Dr.John Mohr.

We had many disagreements, which werepolite, but never really resolved. Most ofthem centered around my findings when Ianalyzed offspring of worms I had cultured.I published on the systematic of Nereisgrubei, and placed 3 of her species (alongwith others) into synonymy. Offspring fromone mating contained 3 of her species. Shenever accepted my findings. She was alsounhappy when I published on the life historyof Nereis grubei in the Hancock series. Shesaid that I should not have published thismaterial until I could go to Peru (type

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locality) and work with the worm there. I haveyet to go to Peru. After receiving my Ph. D. Icultured many polychaetes including Capitellacapitata. I found offspring which matched herC. ovincola. I also found hermaphroditic C.capitata as well as the traditional form. All ofthese from a single female! She said that itwas impossible. What would she say aboutGrassle’s work with Capitella? I was timidabout pursuing the speciation problem withCapitella in view of the “Queen’s”comments. Don’t get the wrong impression.I deeply respect Dr. Hartman, and I amgrateful for the many things she did for me.I am attempting to capture the mood of thetime.

One day in August 1951 I walked into room30 and there was a pallet containing books.It was Dr Hartman’s “Literature of thePolychaetous Annelids”, which shepublished privately. I purchased the firstcopy, which I still have. This book saved mecountless hours of typing reference cards. Icould now just make notations in the book.I think the availability of this book was oneof the main reasons why Keith Woodwickchose to work on polychaetes. He arrived atUSC a couple of weeks after it waspublished. He had to choose betweenpolychaetes and crustaceans (his only otherchoice). Again, little details played a majorrole. Keith got his students Jim Blake andTodd Bridges (and others, I think) to workon polychaetes.

Next—Chapter 11: Conclusion of theHartman years and my dissertation.

21 SEPTEMBER MEETING MINUTES

The meeting was held in the Worm Lab at theNatural History Museum of Los AngelesCounty. President Ron Velarde(CSDMWWD) led us through the businessmeeting. Bight ‘98 sampling is complete.Don Cadien gave a brief summary ofCSDLAC’s sampling effort. Then RonVelarde summarized CSDMWWD’s

sampling effort and commented that the hermitcrab Parapagurodes makarovi was one of themost unusual animals found. It was interestingthat this hermit crab had an abdominal parasiteStegophryxus hyphalus Markham 1974, abopyrid isopod which is a relatively deep waterspecies. This specimen was collected at adepth of 107 meters. Everyone agreed thatthey saw an El Niño influence in the trawlspecies collected and that the population oftheir usual species were low compared tonormal.

The 5th California Islands Symposium will beheld March 29 - April 1, 1999 at the SantaBarbara Museum of Natural History. It issponsored by the Minerals ManagementService and SBMNH. The Western Societyof Naturalists (WSN) meetings will be heldDecember 26 - December 30, 1998 at theHanalei Hotel in San Diego. You can checkout the particulars of the conference at theirwebsite:

http://www.csun.edu/wsn/WSN%20Newsletter.htm.

Gary Williams and Lisa-Ann Gershwin arewriting a proposal for a book on the planktonicand midwater fauna of California. They stillneed sections written on copepods, mysids,euphausiaceans, cladocerans, andleptostracans. Anyone who is interested incontributing to this book may contact Gary orLisa-Ann.

Don Cadien passed around the new MMSVolume 8 which covers the Aplacophora,Polyplacophora, Scaphopoda, Bivalvia andCephalopoda, and mentioned that Vol. 3 onthe Cnidaria had also been published. Hecommented that we should have a SCAMITmeeting to review the contents of thesevolumes and then invite the authors toattend another SCAMIT meeting to discusstheir respective chapters. Details on

http://www.sbnature.org/atlas/



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availability of the 13 volumes issued to date,and publication schedule for the oneremaining volume in the series can be obtainedfrom their website at:


Kelvin Barwick gave a report on his use ofScheltema’s laboratory methods foraplacophoran spicules in the MMS Atlas.He found that he got the best results viewingspicules by using a set of polarizing lensattached to his compound scope, as issuggested by Scheltema in her chapter.With the polarizers, the spicules display avariety of vibrant colors and are easy toview against a dark background. Now thatKelvin can “see” the spicules, we hope tonext hear his comments on usingScheltema’s key.

The 7th North American OligochaeteConference will be held October 26 -October 28 at the Keys Marine Laboratoryon Long Key, Florida. Following theconference, there will be a taxonomicworkshop sponsored by the FloridaAssociation of Benthologists (FAB). The focuswill be on oligochaetes, polychaetes, andleeches associated with Florida estuaries.

As reported in Annelida (http://www.bio.net/hypermail/ANNELIDA/9809/0001.html),Marian Pettibone has left the Smithsonian.She is moving back to her hometown,Tacoma, Washington.

We were treated to a slide show by ToddZimmerman, a graduate student at UCLAwho is associated with the Crustacea sectionof the museum. Todd showed shots ofGuana, the small island in the British VirginIslands that he, Leslie Harris, Don Cadien,and Rick Ware are engaged in studying. Wegot an appreciation of the nature of theterrestrial habitat and vegetation, and thetypes of crabs that occupy both the land andadjacent marine areas. Benthic samplesalong transects were collected this July,

along with numerous samples of algal andinvertebrate substrates from intertidal andshallow subtidal areas. These will be sorted,and identified to produce the beginnings ofan inventory of the microbiota of Guana’sintertidal and nearshore subtidal zones. Theresults should reveal a fauna similar to thatin other nearby islands located on thePuerto Rican Plate such as Puerto Rico, JanVan Dyke, Tortola, Anegada, and St. John.None of these areas has been extensivelyinvestigated except Puerto Rico. Guana isprivately owned, and the owners have madeit into a conservation zone. In conjunctionwith the British Virgin Islands governmentthey have begun reestablishing locallyextinct species on the island with the aim ofreturning it to its pre-human ecosystem.

Leslie Harris gave us a report on herexperiences while attending the 6th

International Polychaete Conference inCuritiba, Brazil. She said it was one of thebest conferences she had ever attended. Itwas very well organized and the 120attendees were well taken care of. Afterregistration on the day of their arrival, theparticipants were treated to a wonderfulfolk concert in the theater. There was livelymusic, and, at one point, Kristian Fauchaldwas spotted joining the “conga line” as theydanced their way amongst the audience.The conference itself was also held in thetheater. There were many papers oncladistics, taxonomy, and ecology. Leslieconsidered the poster session also very welldone, with posters of a high scientificquality. Of the 120 participants, about 30were Brazilian polychaete workers. Therewas a one-day train ride for participants,starting at 1,000 meter elevation, travelingthrough a rain forest, then ending at amarine station on the beach. Following theconference, there was a cladistics workshopco-taught by Kristian Fauchald, KirkFitzhugh, Fred Pleijel, and Greg Rouse.Even though Leslie was not a participant inthe actual workshop, she was working


http://www.bio.net/hypermail/ANNELIDA/9809/0001.html

http://www.bio.net/hypermail/ANNELIDA/9809/0001.html

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nearby in the laboratory and was often privy tosome lively debates. She presented a slideshow of live worms photographed during hertrip, from both Guana Island and Brazil. Theydisplayed colorful pigment patterns whichnormally fade upon fixation and preservation.Also internal structures (e.g. pharynges ofsyllids) that are visible in the live animals maybe difficult or impossible to see in preservedworms.

Leslie informed us of the recent acquisition ofa large collection of invertebrates for theLACMNH. It consists of 240 five-gallonplastic buckets filled with sorted samples ofinvertebrates from 30 sites in Puget Sound.From 1974 through 1980 these 30 sites weresampled up to 4 times per year. There wereoriginally over 500 buckets of samplesstored at Friday Harbor. Leslie wasinvolved in inspecting each bucket anddetermining which ones should be broughtto the Museum. Many buckets containedspecies that were vialed separately and thenplaced into plastic bags for each station.Each bucket then held plastic bags for 4 or 5stations. This collection considerably increasesthe holdings of marine invertebrates from thePuget Sound area in the museum. This materialwill provide many new opportunities forresearch projects once accessioned and curated.

The first specimen we looked at following thebusiness meeting was Chone nr. sp C broughtto the meeting by Ricardo Martinez-Lara. Ithad two dark lateral methyl green pigmentpatches anteriorly. Ricardo passed aroundsome digital images of the specimen. Thephotos showed the methyl green stainingpattern of Chone nr. sp C and also illustrated,for comparison, staining patterns of otherspecies of Chone. We were able to put anidentification on this species, Chone duneri,illustrated in Banse 1972, pp. 466-467, Figure2b.

A couple of taxonomic aids were madeavailable for attendees; Kelvin Barwickhanded out a “Table of Characters for theAmpharetidae from the City of San Diego’sOcean Monitoring Program” revised byKelvin Barwick and Rick Rowe in February1997. Rick Rowe distributed the table“Separating the abranchiate AmphitritinaeTerebellidae of Pt. Loma” from November1995. (See attachments.)

Next we viewed a specimen of Chone sp SD 1brought to the meeting by Kathy Langan-Cranford. A San Diego voucher sheet forthis species is included in this newsletter.This species occurs offshore of SanFrancisco at a depth of 25-30 meters and atthe mouth of the Tijuana River, also inshallow water. At first glance, this speciesmay be mistaken for C. albocincta since themethyl green staining patterns are similar.Chone sp SD 1 is unique in that it has araised ridge in the shape of a tuning fork onthe ventral side of the collar. This feature ismore obvious in larger specimens.

Larry Lovell showed us a specimen of what hehad been considering Levinsenia oculata.Earlier that morning, Larry had examinedthe holotype and several paratypes at themuseum, stained them, and recorded theirstaining patterns. As luck would have it, theholotype and paratypes of L. oculata wereactually L. gracilis; therefore, L. oculatawould be proposed to be an objective juniorsynonym of L. gracilis, and unavailable. Inthe animals he had been calling L. oculatathe anterior ends were inflated, dorsalintersegmental furrows were deeplyinvaginated postbranchially, and there werepaired pigment dots of methyl greencontinuing to the posterior of the animal.SCAMIT will designate this Levinsenia sp Bnow that L. oculata is unavailable. On page33 of the MMS Atlas, Volume 6, Blakecomments that a voucher specimen of L.gracilis that he examined has “moreposterior spines in a fascicle (ca. 12 instead

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of 7) and arranged in two rows instead of asingle row”. Larry believes this specimenmay represent Levinsenia sp B of SCAMIT.Material of L. oculata sensu Blake 1996 inthe MMS Atlas needs to be re-examined.

We then examined Levinsenia sp A, andLarry handed out copies of his draftvoucher sheet. Levinsenia sp A has a limitednumber of branchiae (most have 7) whichare flattened and begin on setiger 7. Themodified setae are neuropodial, acicular,and have strongly curved tips. The modifiedsetae also have a subterminal hood which isan unusual character for Levinsenia.Setigers 1-5 are inflated, and there is a bodytransition at setiger 6. Methyl green stainsdorso-lateral areas in the interramal area ofanterior and branchial setigers.

The next paraonid for viewing was Aricideasp A, with a voucher sheet prepared byLarry Lovell. This worm has a shortmedian antenna and small red eyespots onthe prostomium. The modified neurosetaebegin on setiger 15-21. They are acicularwith a subterminal arista. There are also 1-2acicular neurosetae with a terminal arista ininferior positions. Kelvin Barwick and LarryLovell provided us with draft copies of theirupdated paraonid key. We reviewed this draftat the meeting and provided them withcomments and corrections (and sarcastichumor). We eagerly await their revised edition.

Tony Phillips then showed us a specimen ofNephtys that he thought might be N.squamosa. It had distinctive flaps thatpartially covered the notopodia. Heencountered this specimen in a sample fromthe Channel Islands. Tony will compare hisspecimen to Ohwada’s 1989 redescription ofNephtys squamosa and let us known the finalidentification at a future meeting.

PREFER® FIXATION - TEST RESULTSDean Pasko

Prefer® is a tissue fixative used primarily forhistological and surgical applications. It is abi-functional aldehyde (glyoxal), and wasdeveloped as a Formalin substitute by AnatechLTD. It is less volatile (low vapor pressure),slightly less toxic, and has the potential fordisposal in the wastewater stream (i.e.,hazardous waste disposal is not required).Price estimates showed that Prefer® could costless than Formalin to use (depending on theconcentration required for adequate fixation).Additional savings could result from thesimplified disposal (i.e., not as hazardouswaste). These potential savings combined withthe lower volatility and toxicity leadCSDMWWD personnel to investigate itspotential usefulness as a Formalin substitute inthe City of San Diego Ocean MonitoringProgram.

Benthic grab samples from 4 benthic stationswere collected by 0.1 m2 Van Veen benthicsampler, screened, combined (when necessary),then split into equal sub-samples. Sixteenounce containers were filled one-quarter full(approx. 118 ml) with grab material and placedin relaxant (MgSO4) for 30 minutes. Afterrelaxation, the samples were fixed using one offour fixative formulations (10%, 20%, 38%Prefer®, or 10% buffered Formalin), and left inthe fixative for one, three, and twenty daysbefore changing to EtOH.

The quality of fixation was examined for avariety of samples. Representativespecimens of each major taxa (polychaetes,crustacea, mollusks, echinoderms, andmiscellaneous phyla) were pulled andexamined for gross appearance, brittleness,pliability, and pigment retention. The intentwas also to examine polychaetes foreffectiveness of staining (Alcian blue &methyl green), and polyclad flatworms and

11


nemertean worms (Enopla) for theeffectiveness of the clearing agent, methylsalicilate, but these tests became impractical(see below).

Gross analysis of eight samples revealedinferior (at best) and poor (at worst)preservation by Prefer® when compared toFormalin. For example, in 38% Prefer®with 3-day fixation, several polychaetespecimens were reported as havingparapodia that were “flaky”, and somespecimens had most of their appendages andcuticle completely “flaking off”. Theexoskeleton of Crustacea were fragile andbrittle, while the flesh was soft.Echinoderms were also soft to the touch, yetbrittle (the arms were easily broken whenbent). The preservation of many mollusks,nemertean worms, and burrowinganthozoans was generally fair.

Additionally, the pigment of several taxa fixedin Prefer® appeared different. Manypolychaetes (particularly glycerids andlumbrinerids) had a golden or bronzecoloration that masked the color patternsseen with Formalin fixation. The flesh ofampeliscid amphipods was generally red,while the exoskeleton was transparent and soft.Ophiuroids, typically white in Formalin fixedsamples, were yellow to cream colored whenfixed in Prefer®.

Samples of 10% and 20% Prefer® producedeven worse preservation. Extending thefixation period to 20 days did not yieldbetter results.

On the other hand, fixation in 10%Formalin was adequate even at 1-dayfixation, although, with this minimalexposure, polychaetes fixed within theirtubes were a little “softer than normal”. At20-day fixation, the Formalin samplesyielded slightly more fragile mollusk shells.

In general, Prefer® inadequately preservedmarine infaunal samples collected and treatedby standard methodology. The cause of theless than adequate fixation may result fromdifferences in acidity of Prefer® relative tobuffered Formalin (pH of 3.75 - 4.25 vs. 2.8 -4.0 respectively). Furthermore, Prefer® wasdeveloped for specific applications (i.e.,histological and surgical uses) where thematerial being fixed is of a more uniform,predictable quantity (thickness) and quality, asopposed to the variable size, shape and densityof marine infauna. Additionally, the externallayers of many inverts (e.g., chitinousexoskeleton of arthropods, cuticle ofpolychaetes) may present additional obstaclesto penetration of the glyoxal used in Prefer®.

Consequently, when compared to glyoxal, itappears that 10% Formalin remains thebetter “all purpose” fixative for marineinfaunal samples.

NOTE: Additional information onmethodology, formulations, cost estimates,etc. may be obtained from Dean Pasko, Cityof San Diego Ocean Monitoring Program -Marine Biology Laboratory, 4918 N. HarborDrive Suite 101, San Diego, CA [email protected]

ATTACHMENTS

This month’s Newsletter contains numerousattachments. As previously mentioned in thenewsletter, Kathy Langan’s (CSDMWWD)Chone sp SD 1 voucher sheet, KelvinBarwick’s/Rick Rowe’s (CSDMWWD)Ampharetidae table, and Rick Rowe’sAmphitritinae table are all attached. DeanPasko (CSDMWWD) has also included threenew voucher sheets dealing with crustaceans.They are as follows: Rudilemboides sp A (theelectronic version of this sheet has beendelayed but will be available at a future dateunder the Taxonomic Tools section of theSCAMIT website), Hartmanodes sp SD 1, and

12


Ericthonius sp SD 1. Last of all, but definitely not least, the new SCAMIT Index has beenproduced (thanks to Faith Cole) and is the final attachment.

JOB OPPORTUNITY

Applicants are being sought for an opening in the Marine Biology Laboratory of the CountySanitation Districts of Los Angeles County. The Marine Biology Laboratory is part of theDistricts’ Ocean Monitoring Group and is responsible for the conduct of monitoring studiesfocused upon wastewater impacts on the Palos Verdes Shelf. The position offered is that ofLaboratory Technician. Duties include both laboratory and field work at sea. See theaccompanying announcement for details.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BANSE, KARL. 1972. Redescription of some species of Chone Krøyer and EuchoneMalmgren, and three new species (Sabellidae, Polychaeta). Fishery Bulletin 70:459-495.

BLAKE, JAMES A. 1995. Chapter 2. Family Paraonidae Cerruti, 1909. Pp. 27-70 IN:Blake, James A., Brigitte Hilbig, and Paul H. Scott (eds). Taxonomic Atlas of theBenthic Fauna of the Santa Maria Basin and Western Santa Barbara Channel. Vol.6, The Annelida Part 3. Polychaeta: Orbiniidae to Cossuridae. 418pp.

DALKEY, ANN. 1998. A new species of amphipod (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Lysianassoidea)from the Pacific Coast of North America. Proceedings of the Biological Society ofWashington 111(3):621-6.

DISTEL, DANIEL L. 1998. Evolution of chemoautotrophic endosymbioses in bivalves -Bivalve-bacteria chemosymbioses are phylogenetically diverse but morphologicallysimilar. Bioscience 48(4):277-86.

LAMBERT, PHILLIP. 1998. Pentamera rigida and P. pediparva, two new species of seacucumber from the west coast of North America (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea).Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 111(3):535-50.

LÜTER, CARSTEN, & Thomas Bartolomaeus. 1997. The phylogenetic position ofBrachiopoda - a comparison of morphological and molecular data. ZoologicaScripta 26(3):245-53.

McLEAN, JAMES HAMILTON. 1985. The archaeogastropod family Addisoniidae Dall,1882: life habit and review of species. The Veliger 28(1):99-108.

OHWADA, TAKASHI. 1989. Redescription of Nephtys squamosa Ehlers (Polychaeta:Nephtyidae). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 102(1):124-130.

SCHELTEMA, AMÉLIE H. 1998. Chapter 2. Class Aplacophora. Pp. 3-47 IN: Scott, PaulValentich and James A. Blake (eds). Taxonomic Atlas of the Benthic Fauna of theSanta Maria Basin and Western Santa Barbara Channel. Vol. 8, The Mollusca Part1. The Aplacophora, Polyplacophora, Scaphopoda, Bivalvia, and Cephalopoda.250pp.

THOMPSON, A. A., & B. D. Mapstone 1997. Observer effects and training in underwatervisual surveys of reef fishes. Marine Ecology - Progress Series 154:53-63.

WEYGOLDT, P. 1998. Evolution and systematics of the Chelicerata. Experimental &Applied Acarology 22(2):63-79.

August, 1998 Vol. 17, No.4SCAMIT Newsletter

SCAMIT OFFICERS:

If you need any other information concerning SCAMIT please feel free to contact any ofthe officers e-mail addressPresident Ron Velarde (619)692-4903 [email protected] Don Cadien (310)830-2400 ext. 403 [email protected] Megan Lilly (619)692-4901 [email protected] Ann Dalkey (310)648-5544 [email protected] issues of the newsletter are available. Prices are as follows:

Volumes 1 - 4 (compilation)................................. $ 30.00Volumes 5 - 7 (compilation)................................. $ 15.00Volumes 8 - 15 ................................................ $ 20.00/vol.

Single back issues are also available at cost.

Please visit the SCAMIT Website at: http://www.scamit.org

COUNTY SANITATION DISTRICTS OF LOS ANGELE COUNTY

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

Marine Biology Laboratory Technician, Ocean Monitoring Group

The County Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County collectively are a non-civil servicegovernment agency separate from Los Angeles County government. The Districts arefinancially stable and nationally recognized for innovative engineering practices inwastewater treatment, solid waste management and power generation.

LOCATION: Joint Water Pollution Control Plant, Carson, CA

COMPENSATION & MAJOR BENEFITS: $2857 - $3835 per month, starting ratedependent upon qualifications. Paid retirement - including tax-deferred 7% paid intoemployee’s account. Exemption from 6.2% Social Security deduction. Paid familymedical/dental coverage, holidays, vacation, personal leave.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: To perform a variety of sampling activities at sea andconduct or support the laboratory analysis of marine biological samples.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES: Conducts or participates in the collection at sea and thelaboratory analysis of a variety of oceanographic samples (primarily biological). At sea,works aboard small craft and a 66 foot motor vessel; assists in the safe navigation andoperation of small craft in coastal waters; operates oceanographic sampling gear andinstrumentation; performs shipboard duties such as hauling lines, setting and pullinganchor, and operating hydrographic winches, and performs related duties as required.In the laboratory, sorts infaunal samples consisting of a wide range of invertebrate taxaand assists taxonomists in the analysis of infaunal samples, prepares specimens fortaxonomic study; provides curatorial care of biological samples; performs organismresections; enters data into a computerized database; maintains laboratory records; actsas laboratory librarian; prepares standard solutions and reagents and performs relatedduties as required.

EXAMPLES OF ASSESSMENT CRITERIA: A knowledge of the principles of biology,oceanography and related sciences; the fundamental characteristics of the major animalclasses found in marine habitats; the procedures and materials used in the collection ofbiological and oceanographic samples; standard techniques, equipment, and materialsused in a laboratory conducting environmental studies of marine communities; basicseamanship. The ability to perform standard laboratory tasks; maintain records; andunderstand and carry out oral and written technical instructions; to work at sea aboardsmall craft under a variety of conditions, including rough and inclement weather; to swim;and to work at a microscope for extended periods of time.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS TO QUALIFY FOR TESTING: A valid California C driver’slicense AND completion of twelve units of college-level zoology.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS: Include experience aboard small craft in coastalwaters; familiarity with oceanographic sampling gear; knowledge of the local marineenvironment and organisms; SCUBA certification and open ocean diving experience.

TO APPLY: Call LA County Sanitation Districts, 562-908-4242 or [email protected] Deadline to apply 10/23/98. EOE M/F/D

Species:Authority:Common Synonyms:

CITY OF SAN DIEGO VOUCHER SHEET

Characters: Illustration:

Related Species:

References:

Comments:

Taxon:Date:By:Voucher Specimen(s):Station Date Storage Location Voucher#

Full Description:

(over)

Collar slightly oblique.Branchial lobes not completely hidden by collar.6 pairs of radioles.Palmate membrane at least 2/3 radiole length.Raised ridge in the shape of a tuning fork on the ventral side of the collar (Fig. 1). This structure stains with methyl green.Setiger 1 fascicles are smaller than others, except in very small (3mm) specimens where they are the same size.Spatulate setae without pointed tips or with minute, hair- like filament.Long abdominal capillary setae, twice the length of an abdominal setiger.

Chone mollis of Banse 1972. This species does not have the collar ridge as shown in Fig. 1 and does not have longabdominal capillary setae.

Chone sp SD 1February 13, 1998

K. Langan-Cranford

11 Aug 97; 58 ft. P-84KL11 Aug 97; 51 ft. P-2013DLZ

Annelida: Sabellidae

TJI-4TJK-6

Pt. Loma 1997

Specimen Size (mm) # of radioles Size of notosetiger 1

San Francisco 5 cm 22 pairs smaller than others

KL P-84 6 mm 6 pairs slightly smaller than others

DLZ 2013 5.5 mm no radioles slightly smaller than others

Main P-31 3 mm no radioles same as others

Specimens were first collected offshore of San Francisco in Feb. and Sept. 1995 at a depth of 25-30 meters. Specimenswere subsequently collected at shallow stations offshore of the Tijuana River.See Kirk Fitzhugh’s notes on “Characters used to distinguish Chone species according to Banse 1972”. Notes inSCAMIT newsletter Vol. 10(4) August 1991.

Banse, K. 1972. Redescription of some species of Chone Kroyer and Euchone Malmgren, and three new species(Sabellidae, Polychaeta). Fishery Bulletin 70(2):459-495.

Fig. 1

Taxon:Date:

Species:

Additional Illustrations:

Distribution—Pt. Loma:

Geographic:

Habitat:

11 February 1998Annelida: SabellidaeChone sp SD 1

K. Langan, 1997

Mouth of Tijuana River

TJI-4 (58 ft); TJK-6 (51 ft)



Characters: Illustration:

Related Species:

(over)

References:


Full Description:

White oedicerotid with well defined dorsal eye.Rostrum strongly deflexed (approx. 90 degrees), not

acutely tapered, ventral keel slightly concave.Coxa 1, slightly produced antero-distally (ventrally

broadened).Gnathopod 1, carpus (article 5) short (<1/4 article 6

as measured along anterior margin); carpal lobenarrow and elongate.

Gnathopod 2 carpal process narrow and moderatelylong (i.e., may extend up to, but not beyond,defining corner of palm).

Gnathopod 1 and 2 with article 6 relatively broad(length = 2.3X width).

Telson convex, with 4 terminal setae/spines, andtwo short setae on outer margin.

Pereopod 7 basis without posterior ventral lobe.Posterior margin somewhat produced withmedium length setae.

Hartmanodes sp SD1 resembles M. emarginatus in the basic characters of the gnathopods (e.g.,somewhat broadened propodus of gnathopods 1 and 2), but differs in the shorter carpus and a moreelongate carpal lobe on gnathopod 1, a strongly deflexed rostrum (~90 degrees vs. <45 degrees in M.emarginatus), and a convex rather than emarginate telson. Compare to figures on page 2.

Hatmanodes sp SD1 also resembles H. hartmanae which possesses a strongly deflexed rostrum andshort carpi of gnathopods 1 and 2. M. hartmanae differs primarily in the much more elongate andmuch narrower propodus and carpal process of gnathopod 2: the propodus is 3.25 longer than wide,and the carpal process extends beyond the palm. Additionally, H. hartmanae has a convex ventalkeel on the rostrum, a coxa 1 that is not antero-distally or ventrally broadened (i.e., the sides areparallel), and a telson with a nearly straight posterior margin.

Barnard, J.L. 1962. Benthic marine amphipoda of southern California: Family Oedicerotidae. PacificNaturalist, 3:349-371.

Bousfied, E.L. and A. Chevrier. 1996. The Amphipod family Oedicerotidae on the Pacific Coast of NorthAmerica. Part 1. The Monodculodes and Synchelidium generic complexes: Systematics anddistributional ecology. Amphipacifica. Vol 2 (2): 75-148.

The species can be easily confused with M. emarginatus or M. hartmanae.

Hartmanodes sp SD1

Monoculodes sp SD1 of CSDMWWD

15 May 1997Dean Pasko

8 Jan 1997 Main

Gammaridea: Oedicerotidae

B-13

gnathopod 1 gnathopod 2

carpal processcarpalprocess

head

(See figures on page 2.)

ventralkeel ofrostrum

telson

Digital images Digital images Digital images Digital images Digital images alsoavailable on the SCAMITwebpage: www.scamit.org

(Female only. Male unknown.)

Taxon:Date:

Species:

Additional Illustrations:


Geographic:

Habitat:

Monoculodes sp SD1 Gammaridea: Oedicerotidae15 May 1997

Monoculodes hartmanaeA. entire male, lateral view; B. Male gnathopod 1; C.Male gnathopod 2; D. Female gnathopod 2; E. telson.

D.

Monoculodes emarginatus

head

telson

female gnathopod 1female gnathopod 2

Pereopod 7

basis,posteriormargin

From J.L. Barnard, 1962.

E.

posteriormargin

100 - 320 ft; Imperial Beach to La Jolla, California



Characters:

Illustrations:

Related Species:

(over)

Comments:


A small species, approximately 2-3 mm in length at maturity.Male gnathopod 2 with double defining tooth; coxa 2 much broader than deep, antero-ventral

margin slightly concave, posterior margin strongly oblique; article 2 (basis) elongate (Figure 1).Male coxa 1 anteriorly produced, narrow, much broader than deep (Figure 2).Female coxa 1 anteriorly produced, gently rounded posteriorly (Figure 3).Female coxa 2 anteriorly produced, ventrally stepped (or sinuous), with oblique posterior margin

(Figure 4).Uropod 3 peduncle equal to urosomite 3 (both male and female).

This species is very similar to Ericthonius brasiliensis in form of the gnathopods, mouthpartmorphology, shape of coxa 5, length of uropod 3 peduncle (= urosomite 3), and uropodarmature, etc. The species differs from E. brasiliensis in its consistently small size at maturity (approximately one-halfthe size of E. brasiliensis), the distinctive shape of coxae 1 and 2, and the more elongate basis of gnathopod 2 (male).

It is possible that this species was previously mistaken for juvenile forms of E. brasiliensis,however, the consistently small size (2-3 mm) of ovigerous females and males with welldeveloped penes, together with the few, but consistent differences listed above suggests thatEricthonius sp SD1 is a separate species.

Ericthonius sp SD1

?Ericthonius brasiliensis (juvenile)

22 April 1998Dean Pasko

7/9/96 D. Pasko7/15/96 D. Pasko

Gammaridea: Corophioidea: Ischyroceridae

21212137

Figure 1. Male gnathopod 2,setae omitted.

Figure 2. Male coxa 1, setae omitted.

Figure 3. Female coxa 1, setae omitted.

Figure 4. Female coxa 2, setae omitted.

Ericthonius sp SD1

Taxon:Date:

Species:

References:


Geographic:

Habitat:

22 April 1998Gammaridea: Corophioidea: IschyroceridaeEricthonius sp SD1

San Diego, California

63 ft to 275 ft in sandy sediments

Bousfield, E.L. 1973. Shallow water Gammaridean Amphipods of New England. CornellUniversity Press, Ithaca, New York; 312 pp.

Barnard, J.L. 1975. Phylum Arthropoda: Crustacea, Amphipoda: Gammaridea. Pp. 313 366. IN:R.I. Smith and J.T. Carlton (eds), Light’s Manual: Intertidal Invertebrates of the CentralCalifornia Coast. Third edition, University of California Press, Berkeley, California.

scamit newsletter vol. 17 no. 5 1998 september

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