Ninety-one specimens of
Aponuphis from 27 stations off the western African coast from Morocco to Angola as well as from two localities in the North Sea and from a single locality off Mallorca in the Mediterranean Sea were examined using light and scanning electron microscopy. A fragment of 16 rDNA was obtained for 29 specimens of
Aponuphis. A Neighbor Joining analysis revealed the presence of two species complexes (
A. bilineata species complex and
A. brementi species complex),
A. ornata and a potentially new species
Aponuphis sp. Besides three typical color morphs characteristic to
A. bilineata,
A. brementi, and
A. ornata, the large number of specimens displayed indistinct color patterns of transversal pigmented bands or dots on anterior chaetigers. Specimens with such coloration were found in
A. bilineata,
A. brementi and the new species
Aponuphis sp. Only
A. ornata showed constant “horse-shoe” color pattern.
