Two new species of Eulepethidae (Polychaeta) from Australian seas

Abstract

Exploration of poorly known regions of the Australian continental margin has resulted in the discovery of two new species in the scale worm family Eulepethidae. Grubeulepis kurnai sp. nov. occurs in southeastern Australia while Proeulepethus payungu sp. nov. was collected at one site in the Indian Ocean on the continental margin of Western Australia. Pareulepis malayana (Horst, 1913), also collected from the continental margin of Western Australia, is newly recorded from Australia, representing a range extension of that species previously known from Madagascar, Malaysia and the South China Sea. Four species, and four of the six known genera of Eulepethidae are now known from Australian waters. The family Eulepethidae remains species-poor compared with most polychaete families, and now comprises 21 species world wide. Copyright © 2011.