Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Phylogenetic relations among spirorbid subgenera and the evolution of opercular brooding

  • Published:
Hydrobiologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Spirorbid polychaetes are a common and often conspicuous element of marine, hard-bottom environments worldwide. Because they exhibit a surprising variety of brooding modes, they offer an opportunity to study the evolution of alternative life-history strategies. A preliminary investigation of their phylogenetic relationships was conducted on morphological data amalgamated from published species descriptions and light microscopy. Cladistic analysis was parsimony-based and was done at the subgenus level. All 27 spirorbid genera and subgenera are represented, along with 7 serpulid outgroups. The phylogenetic hypotheses were used to explore the origin of opercular brood chambers in the Pileolariinae and the Januinae. Both weighted and unweighted analyses strongly supported the monophyly of the Spirorbidae, and yielded three and a single most parsimonious tree respectively. All spirorbid subfamilies were monophyletic except two: the Pileolariinae, from which the Januinae seem to have arisen, and the Romanchellinae, which were polyphyletic in the unweighted analysis and paraphyletic with Paralaeospira in the weighted analysis. However, support for the hypothesized relationships among spirorbid subfamilies was generally weak. A weakly supported clade of opercular brooders occupied the most derived position on the tree, and the strongly supported monophyletic Januinae comprise a derived clade within the Pileolariinae. This analysis suggests that the evolutionary novelty of opercular brooding arose only once, and the simple cylindrical januin brood chamber is a simplification of the more complex pileolariin form.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Al-Ogaily, S. M. & A. Hussain, 1987. Some dextral Spirorbidae (Polychaeta from Al-Wajh (Red Sea) Saudi Arabia). J. nat. Hist., Lond. 21: 597–602.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bailey, J. H., 1969. Spirorbinae (Polychaeta: Serpulidae) from Chios (Aegean Sea). Zool. J. linn. Soc. 48: 363–85.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bailey-Brock, J. H., 1972. Deepwater tube worms (Polychaeta, Serpulidae) from Hawaiian Islands. Pacif. Sci. 26: 405–408.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bailey-Brock, J. H., 1985. Polychaetes from Fijian coral reefs. Pacif. Sci. 39: 195–220.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bailey-Brock, J. H., 1991. Tubeworms (Serpulidae, Polychaeta) collected from sewage outfalls, coral reefs and deep waters off the Hawaiian Islands, including a new Hydroides species. In Hutchings, P. A. (ed.), Proceedings of the Third International Polychaete Conference. Bull. mar. Sci. 48: 198–207.

  • Bailey, J. H. & M. P. Harris, 1968. Spirorbinae (Polychaeta: Serpulidae) of the Galapagos Islands. J. Zool., Lond. 155: 161–184.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bailey-Brock, J. H. & P. Knight-Jones, 1977. Spirorbidae (Polychaeta) collected by R.V. 'Vitjas' from abyssal depths of the Pacific Ocean. J. Zool. 181: 315–321.

    Google Scholar 

  • Banse, K. & K. D. Hobson, 1981. Sedentariate and archiannelid polychaetes of British Columbia and Washington. Can. Bull. Fish. aquat. Sci. 209: 1–144.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bremer, K., 1994. Branch support and tree stability. Cladistics 10: 295–304.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bush, K. J., 1904. Tubiculous annelids of the Tribes Sabellides and Serpulides from the Pacific Ocean. Harriman Alaska Exped. 12: 169–355.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caullery, M. & F. Mesnil, 1875. Etudes sur la morphologie comparée et la phylogénie des espèces chez les Spirorbes. Bull. scient. Fr. Belg. 30: 185–233.

    Google Scholar 

  • Day, J. H., 1967. A monograph on the Polychaeta of Southern Africa, Part 2. Sedentaria. Br. Mus. nat. Hist. Publ. 656: 459–878.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Silva, P. H. D. H., 1965. New species and records of Polychaeta from Ceylon. Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 144: 537–563.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dew, B., 1959. Serpulidae (Polychaeta) from Australia. Rec. Aust. Mus. 25: 19–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eriksson, T., 1998. Autodecay ver. 4.0 (program distributed by the author). Bergius Foundation, Royal Swedish Acad. Sci., Stockholm. PP

  • Farris, J. S., 1989. The retention index and the rescaled consistency index. Cladistics 5: 417–419.

    Google Scholar 

  • Farris, J. S., M. Källersjö, A. G. Kluge & C. Bult, 1995. Testing significance of incongruencies. Cladistics 10: 315–319.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fitzhugh, K., 1989. A systematic revision of the Sabellidae-Caobangiidae-Sabellongidae complex (Annelida: Polychaeta). Bull. am. Mus. nat. Hist. 192: 1–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gee, J. M., 1964. The British Spirorbinae (Polychaeta: Serpulidae) with a description of Spirorbis cuneatus sp. n. and a review of the genus Spirorbis. Proc. Zool. Soc., Lond. 143: 405–441.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gee, J. M. & E.W. Knight-Jones, 1962. The morphology and larval behavior of a new species of Spirorbis (Serpulidae). J. mar. biol. Ass. U.K. 45: 641–654.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris, T., 1968a. Spirorbis species from the Isle of Scilly, including descriptions of two new species. J. mar. biol. Ass. U.K. 48: 593– 602.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris, T., 1968b. Spirorbis species from the Bay of Naples with the description of a new species. Pubbl. Staz. Zool. Napoli 36: 188–207.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris, T., 1969. Spirorbis species (Polychaeta Serpulidae) from the South Atlantic. Discovery Rep. 35: 135–178.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harris, T. & E. W. Knight-Jones, 1964. Spirorbis infundibulum sp. nov. (Polychaeta: Serpulidae) from Tenarea shelves on the Costa Brava. Ann. Mag. nat. Hist. 13: 347–351.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hartman, O., 1966. Polychaeta Myzostomidae and Sedentaria of Antarctica. Antarctic Research Series. Vol. 7. American Geophysical Union of the National Academy of Science, Los Angeles, CA: 1–158.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knight-Jones, E. W., P. Knight-Jones & P. K. Bregazzi, 1971. Helicosiphon biscoensis Gravier (Polychaeta: Serpulidae) and its relationship with other Spirorbinae. Zool. J. linn. Soc. 52: 9–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knight-Jones, E.W., P. Knight-Jones & P. J. Vine, 1972. Anchorage of embryos in Spirorbinae (Polychaeta). Mar. Biol. 12: 289–294.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knight-Jones, P., 1972. New species and a new subgenus of Spirorbinae (Serpulidae: Polychaeta) from Kenya. J. Zool. 166: 1–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knight-Jones, P., 1973. Spirorbinae (Serpulidae: Polychaeta) from South-Eastern Australia. A new genus, four new subgenera and seven new species. Bull. Br. Mus. nat. Hist. (Zool.) 24: 231–259.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knight-Jones, P., 1978. New Spirorbidae (Polychaeta: Sedentaria) from the East Pacific, Atlantic, Indian and Southern Oceans. Zool. J. linn. Soc. 64: 201–240.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knight-Jones, P., 1981. Behavior, setal inversion and phylogeny of Sabellida (Polychaeta). Zool. Scr. 10: 183–202.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knight-Jones, P., 1984. A new species of Protolaeodora (Spirorbidae: Polychaeta) from Eastern U.S.S.R., with a brief revision of related genera. Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 80: 109–120.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knight-Jones, P. & M. R. Fordy, 1979. Setal structure, functions and interrelationships in Spirorbidae (Polychaeta, Sedentaria). Zool. Scr. 8: 119–138.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knight-Jones, P. & E. W. Knight-Jones, 1974. Spirorbinae (Serpulidae: Polychaeta) from South Africa, including three new species. Mar. Biol. 25: 253–261.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knight-Jones, P. & E. W. Knight-Jones, 1977. Taxonomy and ecology of British Spirorbidae (Polychaeta). J. mar. biol. Ass. U.K. 57: 453–499.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knight-Jones, P. & E. W. Knight-Jones, 1994. Spirorbidae (Polychaeta) from Signy Island, South Orkneys, including three new species. Ophelia 40: 75–94.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knight-Jones, P. & E. W. Knight-Jones, 1995. Spirorbidae (Polychaeta) from Madeira including a new species and subgenus of Spirorbis. Mitt. hamb. zool. Mus. Inst. 92: 89–101.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knight-Jones, P. & C. H. Thorp, 1984. The opercular brood chambers of the Spirorbidae. Zool. J. linn. Soc. 80: 121–133.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knight-Jones, P., E. W. Knight-Jones & R. P. Dales, 1979. Spirorbidae (Polychaeta Sedentaria) from Alaska to Panama. J. Zool. 189: 419–458.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knight-Jones, P., E. W. Knight-Jones & T. Kawahara, 1975. A review of the genus Janua, including Dexiospira (Polychaeta: Spirorbinae). Zool. J. linn. Soc. 56: 91–129.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kupriyanova, E. K., E. Nishi, H. A. Ten Hove & A. V. Rhzavsky, 2001. Life-history patterns in serpulimorph polychaetes: ecological and evolutionary perspectives. Oceanog. mar. biol. Ann. Rev. 39: 1–101.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kupriyanova, E. K. & A. V. Rhzavsky, 1993. Serpula and Crucigera (Polychaeta, Serpulidae) from the Russian far-eastern seas. Ophelia 38: 47–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maddison, W. P. & Maddison, D. R., 2000. MacClade. Version 4.0. Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, MA. Mayr, E, 1960. The emergence of evolutionary novelties. In Tax, S. (ed.), Evolution After Darwin. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL: 349–380.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nishi, E. & M. Nishihara, 1993. Colony formation via sexual and asexual reproduction in Salmacina dysteri (Huxley) (Polychaeta, Serpulidae). Zool. Scr. 11: 589–595.

    Google Scholar 

  • Okuda, S., 1934. Some tubiculous annelids from Hokkaido. J. Fac. Sci. Hokkaido Univ. 3: 233–246.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pillai, T. G., 1960. Some marine and brackish-water Serpulid Polychaeta from Ceylon, including new genera and species. Ceylon J. Sci. (Biol. Sci.) 3: 1–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pillai, T. G., 1965. Annelida Polychaeta from the Philippines and Indonesia. Ceylon J. Sci. (Biol. Sci.) 5: 161–177.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pillai, T. G., 1970. Studies on a collection of spirorbids from Ceylon, together with a critical review and revision of spirorbid systematics, and an account of their phylogeny and zoogeography. Ceylon J. sci. (Biol. Sci.) 8: 100–172.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pixell, H. L. M., 1912. Polychaeta from the Pacific coast of North America. I. Serpulidae, with a revised table of classification of the genus Spirorbis. Proc. Zool. soc. Lond., 65: 784–805.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rzhavksy, A. V., 1988. Jugaria kofiadii sp. n. (Polychaeta, Spirorbidae) from the Arctic basin. Zool. Zh. 67: 865–869.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rhavksy, A. V., 1992. Circeis vitreopsis sp. n. (Polychaeta, Spirorbidae) from the Japan sea. Ophelia 36: 167–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rhavksy, A. V., 1993. Bushiella (Jugaria) beatlesi sp. n. (Polychaeta: Spirorbidae) from the Kurile Islands with remarks on taxonomy, morphology and distribution of some other Bushiella species. Ophelia 38: 89–96.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rhavksy, A. V., 1997. Three new species and a new genus of Spirorbidae (Polychaeta) from the Southern Indian Ocean, with a brief description of two species incertae sedis from the Southern Hemisphere. Ophelia 46: 233–245.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rovereto, G., 1904. Studi monografici sugli Anellidi fossili. Pal. Ital. 10: 1–73.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strathmann, M. F., 1987. Reproduction and Development of Marine Invertebrates of the Northern Pacific Coast. University of Washington Press, Seattle, WA: 138–195.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swofford, D. L., 2002. PAUP.: Phylogenetic Analysis Using Parsimony. Version 4.0 beta10, Sinauer Associates

  • Sunderland, MA. Ten Hove, H. A., 1984. Towards a phylogeny in serpulids (Annelida: Polychaeta). In Hutchings, P. A. (ed.), Proceedings of the First International Polychaete Conference, Linnean Society of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia: 181–196.

  • Ten Hove, H. A. & M. Jansen-Jacobs, 1984. A revision of the genus Crucigera (Polychaeta; Serpulidae); a proposed methodical approach to serpulids, with special reference to variation in Serpula and Hydroides. In Hutchings P. A. (ed.), Proceedings of the First International Polychaete Conference. Linnean Society of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia: 143–180.

  • Thorp, C. H., 1975. The structure of the operculum in Pileolaria (Pileolaria) granulata (L.) (Polychaeta, Serpulidae) and related species. J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 20: 215–235.

    Google Scholar 

  • Uchida, H., 1971. Spirorbinae (Polychaeta: Serpulidae) from Hokkaido, II. J. Fac. Sci. Hokkaido Univ., Ser. 6 (Zool.) 18: 193–226.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vine, P. J., 1972a. Spirorbinae (Polychaeta, Serpulidae) of the Hawaiian Chain. Part I, New species. Pacif. Sci. 26: 140–149.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vine, P. J., 1972b. Spirorbinae (Polychaeta, Serpulidae) from the Red Sea, including descriptions of a new genus and four new species. Zool. J. linn. Soc. 51: 177–201.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vine, P. J., 1977. The marine fauna of New Zealand: Spirorbinae (Polychaeta Serpulidae). Mem. N. Z. oceanogr. Inst. 68: 1–66.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vine, P. J., & J. H. Bailey-Brock, 1984. Taxonomy and ecology of coral reef tube worms (Serpulidae, Spirorbidae) in the Sudanese Red Sea. Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 80: 135–156.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vine, P. J., J. H. Bailey-Brock & D. Straughan, 1972. Spirorbinae (Polychaeta, Serpulidae) of the Hawaiian Chain. Pacif. Sci. 26: 150–182.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zibrowius, H., 1969. Review of some little known genera of Serpulidae (Annelida: Polychaeta). Smithsonian Contr. Zool. 112: 1–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zibrowius, H., 1972. Une espece actuelle du genre Neomicrorbis Rovereto (Polychaeta Serpulidae) decouverte dans l'etage bathayal aux Acores. Bull. Mus. natn. Hist. nat., Paris, Sér. 33: 423–430.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zibrowius, H., 1983. Chitinopoma arndti n. sp., an incubating bathayal serpulid polychaete from Saint-Paul Island, Southern Indian Ocean. Tethys 11: 21–24.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E9, Canada

    Tara A. Macdonald

  2. Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, Bamfield, British Columbia, V0R 1B0, Canada

    Tara A. Macdonald

Authors
  1. Tara A. Macdonald
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Macdonald, T.A. Phylogenetic relations among spirorbid subgenera and the evolution of opercular brooding. Hydrobiologia 496, 125–143 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026132512370

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026132512370

Search

Navigation