Organisms Diversity & Evolution 6 (2006) Electronic Supplement 15

Daniel Martin, Byoung-Seoul Koh, Michel Bhaud, Eric Dutrieux, João Gil:
The genus Owenia (Annelida: Polychaeta) in the Persian Gulf, with description of Owenia persica sp. nov..

print version: Org. Divers. Evol. 6(4): 325-326. 2006 (abstract only)
electr. suppl.: full article. pdf-format, 2.1 MB

Abstract:

Examination of a collection of Polychaeta from the Iranian coast of the Persian Gulf results in recognition of a new species of Owenia, namely O. persica sp. nov. This is an oculate oweniid (thorax width 0.27-1.17 mm) in which the collar edge is not rectilinear but presents an angle of 150° with an anterior opening. Hooks on the first abdominal segment are aligned at 45°. In lateral view, the upper teeth of the hooks' head are clearly separated from the shaft; there is no discontinuity between the teeth, nuchal curve and shaft. The scales of the capillary chaetae are oval, with a long, loose transition between sections a and b, and short (a+b = 8.05 mm; ratio (a+b)/d = 7.76). The description of Owenia persica sp. nov contributes to the growing evidence that the cosmopolitan Owenia fusiformis sensu lato is, in fact, a complex of species. Two previous reports of O. fusiformis Delle Chiaje from the Gulf are shown to be misidentifications: the specimens from Kuwait clearly belong to O. persica sp. nov., whereas the single specimen from the Strait of Hormuz likely belongs to another new species, Owenia sp. The characteristics of the local distribution of O. persica sp. nov along the Iranian coast are analyzed on the basis of the available environmental data.

Key words: Owenia; New species; Taxonomy; Biogeography; Ecology

back to content