A New Species of Flabelligena (Annelida: Acrocirridae) from the Western Pacific

Abstract

A new species of Flabelligena Gillet, 2001 (Annelida: Acrocirridae) was described from deep-sea sediment collected off Minamidaito Island and on Kita-Koho Seamount, 644–774 m depth. The new species can be discriminated from other known Flabelligena species by having three pairs of branchiae, 1–2 noto/neurochaetae, and ventral genital papillae on chaetiger 7. Phylogenetic analysis based on four genes (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, 16S, 18S, and 28S) supported that the new species belonged to the genus. This is the first described species of Flabelligena from the Pacific Ocean.

Keywords

• cirratuliformia
• taxonomy
• polychaetes
• polychaeta
• d-ark
• japan