WoRMS taxon details
Vrijenhoekia balaenophila Pleijel, Rouse, Ruta, Wiklund & Nygren, 2008
743812 (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:743812)
accepted
Species
Sirsoe balaenophila (Pleijel, Rouse, Ruta, Wiklund & Nygren, 2008) · unaccepted > superseded combination (superseded subsequent combination)
marine, brackish, fresh, terrestrial
recent only
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]
page(s): 627 [details] Available for editors

Holotype SMNH 6305, verbatimGeounit Monterey Canyon,...
, Note Monterey Canyon, off California, 36° 36.8′...
Holotype SMNH 6305, verbatimGeounit Monterey Canyon, off... [details]
From editor or global species database
Type locality Monterey Canyon, off California, 36° 36.8′ N, 122° 26.0′ W (36.6133°, -122.4333°), 2891 m. [details]
Etymology Authors: Vrijenhoekia balaenophila is "named for its affinity to whale bones" They do not explain in detail. Greek philia...
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]
Read, G.; Fauchald, K. (Ed.) (2025). World Polychaeta Database. Vrijenhoekia balaenophila Pleijel, Rouse, Ruta, Wiklund & Nygren, 2008. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=743812 on 2025-04-04
Date
action
by
The webpage text is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution 4.0 License
Nomenclature
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]
page(s): 627 [details] Available for editors

Taxonomy
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]
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]
Other
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]






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]