Kristianides, A New Genus of Scale Worms from the Northern Gulf of Mexico and New Records of Phyllohartmania taylori (Annelida: Polychaeta: Polynoidae).

Abstract

Phyllohartmania Pettibone, 1961 is a monotypic genus in the subfamily Polynoinae Kinberg, 1856. It is characterized by having lateral antennae with ventral ceratophores, cephalic peaks and neuropodia with pre-chaetal lobes being longer than post-chaetal lobes. Phyllohartmania taylori Pettibone, 1961 was described using only one specimen collected at Bird Point, Seahorse Key, Florida. During a study of Polynoids from the Grand Caribbean to corroborate features and records, the holotype and additional material of P. taylori housed at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution were examined and an unknown genus of Eulagiscinae Pettibone, 1997 confused with Phyllohartmania was found; the present study erects this as a new genus. Kristianides gen. nov. is distinguished by having prostomium without cephalic peaks, lateral antennae inserted terminally on indistinct ceratophores and notopodia and neuropodia with projecting acicular lobes well developed. Kristianides cylindricum sp. nov. differs from the other species of Eulagiscinae by having ventral lamellae; 15 pairs of elytra with fringe of papillae, surface with sclerotized microtubercles and macrotubercles; being conical the microtubercles and cylindrical the macrotubercles. In addition, two records of P. taylori from the northern Gulf of Mexico are published herein, as is a taxonomic key to differentiate Kristianides gen. nov. from its congeners in Eulagiscinae. This finding also increases the number of species with ventral lamellae, a convergent feature.