Bonifácio, Paulo; Menot, Lénaïck. (2018). New genera and species from the Equatorial Pacific provide phylogenetic insights into deep-sea Polynoidae (Annelida). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 185(3): 555-635 [published online 14 November 2018; printed publication 27 February 2019].
World Polychaeta Database (WPolyDb) Publication in open access Year date for nomenclature is 2018 as ZooBank registered when first online
Available for editors
Polynoidae contains ~900 species within 18 subfamilies, some of them restricted to the deep sea. Macellicephalinae
is the most diverse among these deep-sea subfamilies. In the abyssal Equatorial Pacific Ocean, the biodiversity
of benthic communities is at stake in the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone (CCFZ) owing to increased industrial
interest in polymetallic nodules. The records of polychaetes in this region are scarce. Data gathered during the
JPI Oceans cruise SO239 made a significant contribution to fill this gap, with five different localities sampled between
4000 and 5000 m depth. Benthic samples collected using an epibenthic sledge or a remotely operated vehicle
resulted in a large collection of polynoids. The aims of this study are as follows: (1) to describe new species of
deep-sea polynoids using morphology and molecular data (COI, 16S and 18S); and (2) to evaluate the monophyly of
Macellicephalinae. Based on molecular and morphological phylogenetic analyses, ten subfamilies are synonymized
with Macellicephalinae in order to create a homogeneous clade determined by the absence of lateral antennae.
Within this clade, the Anantennata clade was well supported, being determined by the absence of a median antenna.
Furthermore, 17 new species and four new genera are described, highlighting the high diversity hidden in the deep.
A taxonomic key for the 37 valid genera of the subfamily Macellicephalinae is provided.
