Journal of the Marine Biological Association of India

Polychaetous annelids of the Indian Ocean including an account of Indian species collected by members of the International Indian Ocean Expeditions, 1963 -'64 and a catalogue and bibliography of the species from India

Volume 16 Issue 1

Olga Hartman

Abstract

The benthic polychaetous annelids collected from the Indian Ocean by scientists participating in the International Indian Ocean Expedition, 1963-64, are named; 244 specific categories are indicated and 116 species are considered new to the fauna of the area. Sixteen species are newly described; they are:

Allmaniella nuchals                             Lumbrlneris inhacae

 Harmothoe branchiata                       Paraprionospio lamellibranchia

Hermadion qfricatms                         Polydora peristomialis

Sccdisetosus glabrus                           Disoma cinifera

Tambalagamia orientalis                    Cossurella dimorpha

Aglaopkamus longlcephalus               Fauveliopsis arabica

Goniada asiatica                                 Leiochrides branchlatus

Diopatm bengaiensis                           Medioniastus caudatus

 

Two species are newly named; they are: Cossura day and Drilomreis monroi. Two others are new combinations, they are: Anaitides sancti-josephi, previously Phyllodoce, and Peisldice dorsipapillata, previously Pholoe.

The following genera or groups are indicated as represented by unnamed species: Pionosyllis Polydora Goniada Cossurella Ninoe ampharetid Aricidea terebellid, abranchiate

Seven family names are newly added to the Fauna of India; they are:

PEISIDICIDAE, with genus Peisldice

SPINTHERIDAE, with genus Spinther

SPHAERODORIDAE, with genus Clavadorum

PARAONIDAB, with genera Aricidea and Paraonis

HETEROSPIONIDAE, with genus Heterospio

ACROCIRRIDAE, with genus Acroclrrus

COSSURIDAE, with genera Cossura and Cossurella.

Diversity and vertical zonation in benthic polychaetes are expressed in three kinds of samples: 1. those coming from the Arabian Sea in 24 unmeasured lots, from intertidal depths to 357 m; 2. eight measured samples coming from estuarine or near shore samples from coastal areas, processed through finer screens than used in other samples, and 3. species named from depths of 250 m or more, documented in the literature.

The catalogue of the Polychaetous Annelids from India lists 883 species. The polychaete fauna of the Indian Ocean may thus be considered to represent the largest of known tropical faunas of this kind.

The Bibliography is intended to be complete for India, as an Appendix to the references cited by Fauvel, 1953, in Fauna of India.

Date : 30-04-1974