Iphione malifera Piotrowski 2014

Iphione malifera Piotrowski, 2014 Figs 18, 36 Iphione malifera Piotrowski, 2014: 156–162, Figs 1–3. Type material. Philippines. Holotype (CAS 187234), Hearst Philippine Biodiversity Expedition 2011, Luzon Island, Batangas Province, Tingloy, Maricaban Island, Sea Pen dive site (13°41’24.0” N, 120°49’48.0” W), coral reef rubble, 33 m, 7 May 2011, A. Hermosillo, coll. Additional material. Philippines. One specimen (CASIZ 197953), Manbini, Balayan Bay, Cathedral dive site, under Fungia rubble near sponge, 2014 Verde Island Passage Expedition, sta. MAB-14 (13°43’12.0” N, 120°52’48.0” E), 40 ft, 28 Apr. 2014, C.N. Piotrowski coll. (intact specimen with few calcareous encrustations, long dark palps and tentacular cirri, elytra beige with mottled dark brown fanned striations across median elytra, progressively more pigment in posterior elytra, cylindrical inflated macrotubercles in 2 uniform rows; body 15 mm long, 7 mm wide, 29 chaetigers). Diagnosis. Iphione with median antenna reduced to nuchal papilla; elytra fimbriate; macrotubercles digitate or blunt conical, rarely with distal spines, in 3–4 rows, first row with macrotubercles slightly larger than those in other rows; cirrigerous segments with dorsal cirrophores with basal tubercle projected; neurochaetae unidentate. Comments. The species was described recently. The holotype retains most elytra on site (Fig. 18A), but parapodial features were not detailed, especially the presence of tubercles in bases of dorsal cirrophores (Fig. 18B); they are conical, without basal projections. Neurochaetae are unidentate, with tips falcate (Fig. 18C). Remarks. Iphione malifera Piotrowski, 2014 resembles I. hourdezi sp. nov. from New Caledonia because both have elytra with fimbriae tiny and digitate macrotubercles. Their main differences are in the number of rows of macrotubercles, and in the shape of neurochaetae. In I. malifera, macrotubercles are in 2–3 rows, and neurochaetae are subdistally swollen with falcate tips, whereas I. hourdezi has macrotubercles in two rows, and neurochaetae are acicular (barely swollen subdistally) with tips mostly straight. Iphione malifera is sister species to I. henshawi in the COI tree (Fig. 36). Distribution. Only known from the Philippines, in subtidal mixed bottoms (12–33 m).