Australian Museum Journal A re-description of Ditrupa gracillima Grube, 1878 (Polychaeta, Serpulidae) from the Indo-Pacific, with a discussion of the genus
- Shortform:
- Hove and Smith, 1990, Rec. Aust. Mus. 42(1): 101–118
- Author(s):
- Hove, H. A. ten; Smith, Richard S.
- Year published:
- 1990
- Title:
- A re-description of Ditrupa gracillima Grube, 1878 (Polychaeta, Serpulidae) from the Indo-Pacific, with a discussion of the genus
- Serial title:
- Records of the Australian Museum
- Volume:
- 42
- Issue:
- 1
- Start page:
- 101
- End page:
- 118
- DOI:
- 10.3853/j.0067-1975.42.1990.108
- Language:
- English
- Date published:
- 23 March 1990
- Cover date:
- 23 March 1990
- ISSN:
- 0067-1975
- CODEN:
- RAUMAJ
- Publisher:
- The Australian Museum
- Place published:
- Sydney, Australia
- Subjects:
- POLYCHAETA; TAXONOMY
- Digitized:
- 24 November 2008
- Available online:
- 18 December 2008
- Reference number:
- 108
- EndNote package:
- EndNote file
- Title page:
- Title page (99kb PDF)
- Complete work:
- Complete work (5632kb PDF)
Abstract
Like so many other serpulid genera, Ditrupa has a history of taxonomic confusion, even to the extent that the worm tubes have been included in the Mollusca by some workers. In recent publications, most authors follow Fauvel (e.g. 1953) and recognise a single species, Ditrupa arietina O.F. Müller, 1776, worldwide, despite the fact that descriptions of this species were based on European and Atlantic material. A re-examination of type specimens and study of a broad range of samples from the Indo-Pacific now justifies the recognition of a separate species, Ditrupa gracillima Grube, 1878, from this region. It shows extreme variation, at least partly related to depth: from 100 m downwards an ecophenotype prevails, previously described as D. arietina var. monilifera.