Abstract
A new species of Terebellidae, Pistacolinisp. n., has been identified from the harbour of Banyuls-sur-Mer, north-western Mediterranean Sea. This new species was found in very high densities, exclusively in gravelly sand deposited manually, and was not found in the original source habitat of the gravel. This species is characterized by the colour of the ventral shields with pinkish anterior part and a blood red posterior part in live specimens, a pair of unequal-sized plumose branchiae inserted on segment II and anterior thoracic neuropodia with long-handled uncini. The presence of long-handled uncini even in the smallest specimens constitutes the major difference between Pistacolinisp. n. and other Pista species with a single pair of branchiae such as P.lornensis and P.bansei.
Highlights
Terebellids belong to a very species-rich group of sedentary polychaetes, widely distributed in most marine benthic substrates, from shallow waters to deep-sea environments (Hutchings 2000, Rouse and Pleijel 2001)
The presence of a single pair of branchiae is a stable character in Pista colini sp. n
More than 100 specimens were observed, of different sizes and all of them had a single pair of branchiae, some were observed alive
Summary
Terebellids belong to a very species-rich group of sedentary polychaetes, widely distributed in most marine benthic substrates, from shallow waters to deep-sea environments (Hutchings 2000, Rouse and Pleijel 2001). Many changes have occurred in the Pista sensu lato group (Hutchings et al 2017, Jirkov and Leontovich 2017) which currently includes seven genera: Axionice Malmgren, 1866, Eupistella Chamberlin, 1919, Lanicides Hessle, 1917, Paraxionice, Fauchald, 1972, Pista Malmgren, 1866, Pistella Hartmann-Schröder, 1996, and Scionella Moore 1903. Among these genera, only four have some species with a single pair of branchiae: Pista, Lanicides, Pistella, and Scionella. The main difference between these two genera is that Pistella’s neurochaetae are all short-handled avicular uncini while Pista’s neurochaetae are long-handled avicular uncini, at least on some anterior neuropodia
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