Three species of Fauveliopsidae (Annelida) from the northwestern Pacific including a new species

Abstract

Three distinct species of fauveliopsid polychaetes were collected from deep-sea sediments in the northwestern Pacific Ocean off Japan. Two of these species were obtained from bathyal and abyssal depths in the Shikoku Basin and were identified as Fauveliopsis levensteinae and Laubieriopsis hartmanae, which have been previously reported from the abyssal plains of the North Pacific Ocean. The third species collected from bathyal depths off Yakushima is new to science and described as Laubieriopsis verrucosa sp. nov. This new species can be distinguished from its congeners by having numerous body papillae across the whole body, 21 chaetigers, and an unpaired genital papilla on the right side of the posterior margin of chaetiger 8. A key to identify Japanese species of Fauveliopsidae is also included.