The Use of Methyl Green as an Aid in Species Discrimination in Onuphidae (Annelida, Polychaeta)

• Published in: Zoologica Scripta
• Main Author: WINSNES, INGER M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1985
• Subjects: Norway; Iceland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1463-6409.1985.tb00175.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1463-6409.1985.tb00175.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1463-6409.1985.tb00175.x

Samples of Onuphidae from the coast of Norway and the waters around Iceland and the Faeroes were treated with dark alcoholic solutions of Methyl Green, a nonpermanent stain, and then destained in 80% alcohol. The resultant staining patterns were used to subdivide the samples. Sarsonuphis quadricuspis (M. Sars), S. fiordicc (Fauchald), Nothria conchylega (M. Sars) and Onuphis opalina (Verrill) all showed characteristic patterns at the species level, whereas Hyalinoecia tubicola (O. F. Müller) and H. robusta Southward both showed similar staining patterns with no recognizable specific differences. However, these two species can be separated by several morphological characters.