Polychaeta taxon details
original description
Pleijel, Fredrik; Rouse, Greg W.; Ruta, Christine; Wiklund, Helena; Nygren, Arne. (2008). <i>Vrijenhoekia balaenophila</i>, a new hesionid polychaete from a whale fall off California. <em>Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.</em> 152(4): 625-634., available online at https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.2007.00360.x page(s): 627 [details] Available for editors [request]
context source (Deepsea)
Pleijel, Fredrik; Rouse, Greg W.; Ruta, Christine; Wiklund, Helena; Nygren, Arne. (2008). <i>Vrijenhoekia balaenophila</i>, a new hesionid polychaete from a whale fall off California. <em>Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.</em> 152(4): 625-634., available online at https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.2007.00360.x [details] Available for editors [request]
status source
Kroesche, Rachel; Rouse, Greg W. (2025). Four New Species of Hesionidae (Annelida, Polychaeta, Phyllodocida) from Eastern Pacific Chemosynthetic Habitats and Reinstatement of Vrijenhoekia. <em>Diversity.</em> 17(2: 121): 1-30., available online at https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/17/2/121 page(s): 5 of 30, figure 1; note: figure one lists Vrijenhoekia balaenophila as valid, in a valid Vrijenhoekia, a generic placement derived from molecular data [details]
Present Inaccurate Introduced: alien Containing type locality
Holotype SMNH 6305, verbatimGeounit Monterey Canyon, off... [details]
From editor or global species database
Diagnosis As for genus: Apomorphies: Three pairs of large glandular lip pads surrounding mouth opening, papilla-shaped neuropodial lobes on segment 3, very long dorsal cirri, and growth pattern with up to about 35 segments whereafter segments increase in size but no new segments are added. [details]
Etymology Authors: Vrijenhoekia balaenophila is "named for its affinity to whale bones" They do not explain in detail. Greek philia is a feminine noun meaning friendly love, affection, fondness, thus if feminine the species name must be a noun in apposition, especially as Vrijenhoekia is said to be masculine (although with a feminine spelling) [details]
Habitat On sunken whale bones, together with Osedax siboglinids. Known only from the type locality on a grey whale carcass at 2891 m depth in Monterey Canyon off California [details]
Type locality Monterey Canyon, off California, 36° 36.8′ N, 122° 26.0′ W (36.6133°, -122.4333°), 2891 m. [details]
| |