An abundant new genus and species of fan worms (Polychaeta: Sabellidae) from Hawaii.

A new genus and species of Hawaiian sabellid polychaete, Euchonoides moeone n. gen. et n. sp. is described. This new species has consistently been one of the most abundant polychaetes collected in Mamala Bay, Hawaii, reaching densities of 141,046 ind. m-2 and representing up to 30.6% of all polychaetes collected in that region. The species has a small body (~2 mm length) with a reduced number of abdominal chaetigers (8-10), and is distinguished by the presence of the following features: 1) three pairs of radioles; 2) radiolar skeleton with two longitudinal rows of cells from radiole base to third proximal pair of pinnules, remainder of each radiole skeleton with single rows of cells; 3) pinnules unpaired, alternating (snowflake arrangement); 4) thoracic uncini acicular with a large tooth above the main fang followed by a series of small ones; 5) thoracic chaetiger 3 enlarged; 6) a wide belt on third abdominal chaetiger; and 7) a pre-pygidial depression composed of three chaetigers, with lateral wings, among a combination of several others features. Histological sections have shown that the abdominal belt seems to be a clitellum-like structure where oogenesis takes place. The new genus is compared with other plesiomorphic genera sharing similar morphological features. Patterns of abundance of the new species are presented for the past 27 years in Mamala Bay.

Opheliidae (Annelida: Polychaeta) from the western Pacific islands, including five new species.

Intertidal, shallow subtidal and deep-water opheliids from the Hawaiian Islands, Guam in the Mariana Islands and Tutuila in American Samoa were examined and nine species are described, five of which are new. Armandia garretti sp. nov. and A. circumpapillata sp. nov. are new species proposed for previous records of A. intermedia Fauvel, 1902 from Hawaii. Armandia cf. paraintermedia Parapar Moreira, 2015 is recorded from intertidal muddy bottoms of Tutuila and A. amakusaesis Saito, Tamaki Imajima, 2000 from subtidal regions in Guam. Polyophthalmus mauliola sp. nov. is described from Hawaiian material and a comparative table with relevant morphological features of eight species of this genus is presented. Ophelina cf. chaetifera (Hartman, 1965) and Ophelina abranchiata Stop-Bowitz, 1948 are new records to Hawaii from up to 507 m depth, Ophelina kohni sp. nov. is described from shallow waters of Guam and Ophelina manana sp. nov. is described from Mamala Bay, Oahu.

Four new species of Magelona (Annelida: Magelonidae) from Easter Island, Guam and Hawaii.

Several collections of magelonids from Easter Island, Guam in the Mariana Islands and Hawaii were examined. Five magelonids are fully described and illustrated: Magelona anuheone sp. nov. (Easter Island), M. cf. symmetrica Mortimer Mackie, 2006 (Guam), M. alexandrae sp. nov. (Hawaii), M. cinthyae sp. nov. (Hawaii) and M. paulolanai sp. nov. (Hawaii and Guam). Magelona anuheone sp. nov. has a distinctly longer than wide prostomium with inflated and well-developed prostomial horns, similar to M. montera from the Indian Ocean. Magelona alexandrae sp. nov. belongs to Magelona species with crenulated upper margin of thoracic postchaetal lamellae and also well-developed prostomial horns. Magelona cinthyae sp. nov. is unique among its congeners in that several collected adult individuals presented two or more eyespots in the prostomium, a feature only previously recorded to pelagic larval stages. Magelona paulolanai sp. nov. belongs to a group of species with rudimentary prostomial horns, simple capillaries on chaetiger 9 and tridentate abdominal hooks. All species are illustrated and compared to their morphologically similar congeners.

Taxonomic remarks on the genus Ctenodrilus (Annelida: Cirratulidae) including description of a new species from the Pacific Ocean.

A new species of Ctenodrilus is described based on morphology, anatomy and molecular (COI and 16S) data. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the newly described Hawaiian species is the sister taxon of the widely distributed C. serratus. Comparisons of K2P distances show distances of at least 10.9 % for 16S and 18.7 % for CO1. Morphology of C. serratus differs from C. pacificus sp. nov. in the shape, number and distribution of multidentate hooks along the body, extent in segments of anterior ventral cilia, and presence of stomach cilia. Ctenodrilus pacificus sp. nov. resembles C. parvulus in terms of the internal anatomy but differs in respect to the shape of multidentate hooks. Asexual reproduction in the new species is described including associated changes in the external morphology and internal anatomy. A revision of the taxonomic characters of Ctenodrilus is also presented in order to provide background information for a better assessment of the widely distributed taxon Ctenodrilus serratus.

Loss of Foxm1 Results in Reduced Somatotrope Cell Number during Mouse Embryogenesis.

FOXM1, a member of the forkhead box transcription factor family, plays a key role in cell cycling progression by regulating the expression of critical G1/S and G2/M phase transition genes. In vivo studies reveal that Foxm1 null mice have a 91% lethality rate at e18.5 due to significant cardiovascular and hepatic hypoplasia. Thus, FOXM1 has emerged as a key protein regulating mitotic division and cell proliferation necessary for embryogenesis. In the current study, we assess the requirement for Foxm1 in the developing pituitary gland. We find that Foxm1 is expressed in the pituitary at embryonic days 10.5-e18.5 and localizes with markers for active cell proliferation (BrdU). Interestingly, direct analysis of Foxm1 null mice at various embryonic ages, reveals no difference in gross pituitary morphology or cell proliferation. We do observe a downward trend in overall pituitary cell number and a small reduction in pituitary size in e18.5 embryos suggesting there may be subtle changes in pituitary proliferation not detected with our proliferation makers. Consistent with this, Foxm1 null mice have reductions in both the somatotrope and gonadotrope cell populations.

Laubieriopsis petersenae n. sp. and L. cf. cabiochi (Amoureux, 1982) (Polychaeta: Fauveliopsidae) from dredge disposal sites off Honolulu, Hawaii.

Fauveliopsid polychaetes have been collected at dredge disposal sites off Honolulu from 397-507 m depth. We report and describe the first Pacific record of Laubieriopsis cf. cabiochi (Amoureux, 1982), originally described from the North Atlantic. A new species, Laubieriopsis petersenae, n. sp. is described as being the species in the genus with the lowest number of body segments (15). Other distinctive features are the presence of bidentate aciculars on thoracic chaetigers, and unpaired genital papilla present on the right side of chaetiger 6/7. The new species is most similar to the L. brevis complex from the Atlantic and L. hartmanae and L. brevis japonica from the Pacific Ocean, but differs on the combination of the characters cited above. We provide an emended diagnosis for this genus to include the ultrastructure of the acicular with rows of spines, and a key to all described species.

Spatio-temporal changes in trophic categories of infaunal polychaetes near the four wastewater ocean outfalls on Oahu, Hawaii.

This study examines the effect of sewage discharge on benthic polychaete assemblages in the context of their functional trophic categories. We present data spanning 20 years of monitoring benthic invertebrate assemblages and sediment properties at all 4 primary- and secondary-treatment wastewater outfalls servicing Honolulu and the island of Oahu, Hawaii, USA. Samples collected within mandated zones of initial dilution (ZIDs) near outfall discharge sites were compared to samples collected at reference stations at varying distances away. Our findings indicate that sediment properties were not affected by the outfall discharge rate or distance from each ZID. The number of polychaete species in 4 functional trophic categories (carnivore, detritivore, omnivore, and suspension feeder) did not change with the outfall solid loading rate or with distance from each ZID, thus suggesting relatively little organic enrichment. We find no evidence of heavy organic enrichment beyond the designated ZIDs at these 4 wastewater outfalls.

Bitentaculate Cirratulidae (Annelida: Polychaeta) from the northwestern Pacific Islands with description of nine new species.

Thirteen cirratulid species from the Hawaiian, Mariana and Marshall Islands are described. Nine species are new to science: Aphelochaeta arizonae sp. nov., Aphelochaeta honouliuli sp. nov., Caulleriella cordiformia sp. nov., Chaetozone michellae sp. nov., Chaetozone ronaldi sp. nov., Monticellina anterobranchiata sp. nov., Monticellina hanaumaensis sp. nov., and Tharyx tumulosa sp. nov., from Oahu, Hawaii and Aphelochaeta saipanensis sp. nov., from Saipan in the Mariana Islands. Dodecaceria fewkesi and Monticellina nr. cryptica are newly recorded from the Hawaiian Islands. Dodecaceria laddi is widely distributed in the western Pacific and material collected from the Hawaiian, Mariana and Marshall islands is described. We provide SEM photographs for all species in addition to line drawings and methyl green staining pattern photographs for the new species.

Benthic infaunal communities around two artificial reefs in Mamala Bay, Oahu, Hawaii.

Non-fishery use of artificial reefs has been given attention in recent years. The primary concern associated with non-fishery artificial reefs is their effects to the surrounding ecosystems. This study examined the infaunal communities around two non-fishery artificial reefs (the sunken vessels YO257 and Sea Tiger) in Mamala Bay, Hawaii. Infaunal community structures at these artificial reefs were relatively similar to one at a nearly natural patch reef. A large amount of basalt gravel around YO257 associated with its deployment operation possibly had an effect on the surrounding community by increasing pore space. Polychaete assemblages were compared with existing data throughout the bay, and this revealed that the variation in sediment grain sizes and depths seemed to play some role in structuring the polychaete communities. Nevertheless, the infaunal communities around the artificial reefs were typical and within the range of natural variation in Mamala Bay, supporting their beneficial uses in ecotourism.

The immediate effects of Hurricane Iniki on intertidal fauna on the south shore of O'ahu.

When Hurricane Iniki struck the Hawaiian Islands in September 1992, it provided a rare opportunity to examine the immediate effects of a hurricane on two intertidal benthic communities off the reefs of O'ahu, Hawai'i. The Niu Beach site contained large, obvious aggregations of the tube building polychaete Diopatra dexiognatha, and the Wailupe Beach site was without obvious tubiculous fauna at the surface. Ten replicate sediment cores were taken before and after the hurricane with a 7.6 cm PVC corer and organisms were identified to family and enumerated. There were no substantial depletions or loss of taxa after the hurricane. Oligochaetes were the most dominant taxa pre-and post-hurricane. The abundance of all dominant polychaete families increased post-hurricane. The three most abundant polychaetes were capitellids and D. dexiognatha (Onuphidae) at Niu Beach and Pygospio muscularis (Spionidae) at Wailupe Beach. We suggest that D. dexiognatha and P. muscularis help stabilize the sediments since they both form dense tube mats while capitellids and oligochaetes are considered highly adaptive surface burrowers that can take advantage of newly disturbed sediments. Overall, there was no substantial effect observed on the intertidal fauna exposed to this severe disturbance. It is suggested here that invertebrate communities in this area are adapted to survive and thrive in high-energy environments and possibly benefit from dense aggregations of tube building polychaetes.