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Discussion
Marcus (1944) recognizes nineteen species of Aeolosoma and sixteen of these are coloured worms A. kashyapi Stephenson is distinguished by an orange colouration, slightly curved capilliform setae, and the absence of ciliary pits.
In Fauna of British India (1923), Stephenson gives a brief diagnostic description of this species. He states, amongst other details, that n is either 7 or 8, he implies that the setae are uniform, and that they are about 60μ in length. Aiyer (1926) describes a worm which he calls A. kashyapi. He affirms that n is always 8, and that the setae are of two kinds, one long, c. 66μ in length, the other about half that length, viz. 38μ. Another distinction is that Stephenson remarks that the nephridia do not occur behind the eighth segment. Aiyer states that nephridia occur ‘in all succeeding segments.' Aiyer does not record the number of segments in his worms. The worm described by Aiyer appears to differ in possessing two types of setae, but notwithstanding this, both Aiyer and Marcus consider it to be A. kashyapi.
Marcus both describes and figures this species. He is the first and only author to describe its reproductive system. The only points of difference between Marcus' worm and the worm here described are first the structure of the buccal cavity and secondly the number of segments in the adult worm. This latter would appear to be an illusory distinction, since Marcus' figure clearly shows the division zone between the segments VII and VIII, although in his description he states that n is 8 and not 7. He further records that the number of segments in his worms varies from 7 to 12 and it seems strange that a worm should have less than n segments. The structure of the buccal cavity, which is not described by Marcus, is figured slightly differently from that of the present worm, in which this structure is very well developed. The distinction is not, however, great. In all other details the two worms are identical, although Marcus records a wide range of size dimensions and also great variation in the number and size of the setae Doubtless it is because of this variation that he includes Aiyer's worm in the species, although Aiyer described setae of two lengths.
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Fig. 1—Raoul Island. Keimadee Group, showing location of main Crater and soil sample sites.
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In the present material, n is always 7. The setae are uniform, but c. 80μ in length. Nephridia do not occur in the eighth segment, which for this worm is the first segment of the daughter worm.
Marcus recognizes three species of colourless worms. Aeolosoma niveum is the only one of the three with simple capilliform setate; the other two species have as well sigmoid or serrated setae. The setae of the present material are, as observed, similar to those of A. kashyapi.
Beddard's (1895) description of A. niveum is brief: “Prostomium not wider than following segments. Setae sigmoid and capilliform. Integumental globules colourless; only one pair of nephridia at end of oesophageal region. Very minute.” Beddard, however, has confused A. niveum, which has only one type of seta, with A. beddardi, which has two (1892b).
Michaelsen (1900) gives the following description of A. niveum: “Kopflappen vorn zugespitzt, nicht breiter als die folgenden segm. Oldrusen farblos, ungleich gross, unregelmassig zerstrent. Borsten vorn zu 3 oder 4, hinten zu 2 im Bundel, schwach S-forming gebogen, mindestens so lang wie die segm. Gehirn hinten schwach aus geschnitten. Erstes Nephridienpaar vor dem 3. Paar Borstenbundel. L 1–2 5 mm. segms der Einzeltiere 12–13.”
While this description is not very detailed, it does not differ from the worm described in this paper except in the number of body segments. Important details such as the site of fission, the number and shape of the nephridia, and the ciliation of the prostomium are not given. Accepting this identification, this is the first record of the worm outside Europe, with the possible exception of Leidy's Chaetodemus panduratus, a synonymy given by Beddard.