Abstract
Polynoid scale-worms have been found living as commensals with deep-water antipatharians (commonly known as black corals) in the Potiguar Basin, off Rio Grande do Norte State, Northeastern Brazil. In this paper two polychaete species and four black corals species are redescribed. Benhamipolynoecf.antipathicola and Parahololepidellacf.greeffi, and the black coral Stylopathesadinocrada Opresko, 2006 are recorded for the Southwestern Atlantic. Benhamipolynoecf.antipathicola was first described from off New Zealand and the Malay Archipelago, as symbiont with the black coral Stylopathestenuispina (Silberfeld, 1909). It was later reported for the North Atlantic, off Florida, associated with Stylopathescolumnaris (Duchassaing, 1870). In our study, B.cf.antipathicola was found in association with the black coral S.adinocrada. Parahololepidellacf.greeffi was first described as a free-living from shallow waters off São Tomé and Cabo Verde Islands, West Africa, and later reported as symbiont with the black coral Tanacetipathescf.spinescens in the same location. Our data expand both the geographical distribution and the host range of this species which is reported for the first time as symbiont with Tanacetipathesbarbadensis (Brook, 1889), T.tanacetum (Pourtalès, 1880) and T.thamnea (Warner, 1981) in Brazil. The aim of this study is to discuss commensal associations between two species of scale-worm polynoids and black corals found in the Southwestern Atlantic, and also reporting their global distribution. Finally, we provided an updated list of the commensal polynoids and their black coral hosts.
Highlights
Specialized symbiotic associations involving polychaetes are ubiquitous in all oceans (Britayev and Antokhina 2012)
The Polynoidae, known as polynoids or scale-worms, includes the largest number and the most commonly reported species living as commensals, representing more than 45% of all known reports of symbiont polychaetes (Martin and Britayev 1998, 2018)
More than 200 species are involved in about 600 relationships, representing about 25% of all known polynoid species (Britayev et al 2014, Martin and Britayev 2018, Serpetti et al 2017)
Summary
Specialized symbiotic associations involving polychaetes are ubiquitous in all oceans (Britayev and Antokhina 2012). The Polynoidae, known as polynoids or scale-worms, includes the largest number and the most commonly reported species living as commensals, representing more than 45% of all known reports of symbiont polychaetes (Martin and Britayev 1998, 2018). Polynoids are often found associated with other invertebrates, especially corals, echinoderms, mollusks, and other polychaetes (Pettibone 1991, Martin and Britayev 1998, 2018, Eckelbarger et al 2005). They may either construct their own refuges on the host’s surface or stimulate their hosts to build protective structures around them. We redescribe and illustrate the specimens found, reporting their global distribution and providing an updated list of the commensal polynoids and their black coral hosts
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