Abstract
Sipunculans collected during several European scientific cruises and expeditions (1991–2010) to different regions of the Mediterranean Sea (from depths ranging 1–2287 m) are recorded. A total of 17 species in nine genera are recognized. Only Nephasoma cf. minutum (Keferstein, 1862) could represent a first record for the Mediterranean Sea in the case of further verification of the identification. Three other species, Apionsoma misakianum (Ikeda, 1904), Aspidosiphon mexicanus (Murina, 1967) and Phascolion tuberculosum Theel, 1875, extend their vertical distribution to deeper bottoms. Significant morphological characters are described and illustrated. Juvenile specimens of Phascolosoma stephensoni (Stephen, 1942) and Aspidosiphon misakiensis Ikeda, 1904 are recorded. They show characteristic cuticular pelagosphera-like papillae over the trunk. A distribution map of Aspidosiphon mexicanus is also included. In general, the sipunculan fauna of the Mediterranean Sea is characterized mostly as a part of the warm-temperate Atlantic region, affected by migration of warm-water species mainly from the Red Sea.
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