New species of Scolelepis (Polychaeta, Spionidae) from the Norwegian coast and Barents Sea with a brief review of the genus

Abstract

The species Scolelepis finmarchicus sp. nov. is described from the Norwegian and Barents Seas along the northern Norwegian coast and Kola peninsula. The occurrence of this species in the Kola Bay could be seen as a sign of climate warming in the area. Taxonomic issues existing in the genus Scolelepis within the area along the Norwegian coast and in the Barents Sea are briefly touched upon. Seven species belonging to Scolelepis have recently been recorded from the Atlantic sector of the Arctic. Scolelepis (S.) matsugae Sikorski, 1994 is newly synonymized with S. (S.) laonicola (Tzetlin, 1985). This article provides a brief review of Scolelepis together with an identification key for the genus from the Atlantic sector of the Arctic.