2008/04/01 by Fredrik Pleijel, Greg W. Rouse, Christine Ruta +2 · 4 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Marine Biology and Ecology Research #Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies #Marine Ecology and Invasive Species
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2007.00360.x
openalex publication_date 2008/04/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Vrijenhoekia balaenophila gen. nov., sp. nov. (Polychaeta, Hesionidae) is described from a whale carcass at near 3000 m depth in Monterey Canyon off the coast of California. The phylogenetic relationships of V. balaenophila are assessed in a parsimony analysis of morphological data together with nucleotide data from 28S rDNA, 16S rDNA and cytochrome oxidase I genes. Within the hesionids V. balaenophila belongs to Psamathini, where it is the sister group to Sirsoe. Among psamathins it is morphologically distinguished by having six glandular lip pads around the mouth opening, papilla-shaped neuropodial lobes on segment 3, extreme length of the dorsal cirri, and by a characteristic growth pattern in which the maximum number of segments is already formed in subadults, and further growth takes place through size increase of the segments