NEW OBSERVATIONS ON THE TEREBELLID (POLYCHAETA) AULOPHORE LARVAE ON THE FRENCH COASTS

The term aulophore describes a pelagic larval stage bearing a mucous t ube. The first terebellid aulophore larva was described in 1863, but d ata about these larvae are still scarce. The present work, with a revi ew of the literature on terebellid aulophore larvae, and a re-examinat ion of different unspecified records of aulophore larvae, is applied t o the particular study of the aulophores of three species at the Frenc h coasts: Lanice conchilega, a second species of this genus the develo pmental study of which provides evidence of the existence of af new sp ecies here designated under the name of Lanice sp., and a species of t he genus Loimia. Distinctive characters, mainly based on the morpholog y of the planktonic tube and the uncinal plates are given for these th ree species, with a key to the best known species. A new Life cycle is proposed for L. conchilega. This study expresses doubts about the lar ge distribution range of the species L. conchilega, since such a large distribution range may correspond to a mixing of species, and systema tics seldom takes into account the larval and juvenile stages.