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Next article FreeAbout the CoverPDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmailQR Code SectionsMoreCoverChaetopterid polychaetes, distinctive members of nearly all benthic marine communities, have larvae that may spend months in the plankton before settling to live their adult lives in parchment-like tubes attached to the sea floor. The cover image shows an extraordinary new species, Chaetopterus pugaporcinus, that may have relinquished the benthic portion of its life and made itself permanently at home in the pelagic realm. Chaetopterus pugaporcinus possesses the same combination of larval and adult features regardless of the size of the specimen (1 to 2 cm), and it has lost features associated with benthic life that were previously thought to be characteristic of the family. The species is reliably found off the coast of California at about 1000 m, regardless of the seafloor depth. One of its 15 segments is greatly expanded, while the others are compressed to the anterior and posterior poles of the decidedly non-vermiform body.On pages 40-54 of this issue, Osborn et al. describe this new species and its ecology. On the basis of three genes, they provide the first hypothesis for a Chaetopteridae phylogeny. The new species is a recently derived member of Chaetopterus, a genus fraught with taxonomic controversy yet used repeatedly in developmental, ecological, and physiological research. The authors provide molecular support for morphological research showing that Chaetopterus variopedatus is a species complex, and they provide evidence that unrestricted dispersal ability does not necessarily lead to cosmopolitan species. Chaetopterus pugaporcinus may represent a logical step in the evolution of a group with long-lived pelagic larvae and may be a modern representative of the many historic invasions of the oceans' midwaters by benthic invertebrates.Credits: Photo, Karen J. Osborn (Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute); cover layout, Beth Liles, (Marine Biological Laboratory). Next article DetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Biological Bulletin Volume 212, Number 1February 2007 Published in association with the Marine Biological Laboratory Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/BBLv212n1cover Views: 153Total views on this site © 2007 by Marine Biological Laboratory. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.