Polychaetes from the Caribbean coast of Colombia: An updated checklist and some taxonomic annotations

Abstract

We present an updated list of the polychaete species described for the Caribbean coasts of Colombia after a historical review of the literature. The taxonomic list includes references to the nomenclature, the synonymies, the data from the ecoregion, the habitat and the bathymetry. Based on the review, we were able to determine that up to September 2019, 51 families, 230 genera, and 293 species with scientific validity had been described for the Colombian Caribbean coast. Eunicidae is the family with the highest number of records, with a total of 33 (11.3%) species, followed by Syllidae with 23 species (7.8%) and Nereididae with 19 species (6.5%). The Tayrona ecoregion presented the greatest diversity, with 32% of species records, followed by the Magdalena ecoregion with 23.4%. Polychaetes in Colombia have been collected in natural habitats such as mangroves, seagrasses, and even as parasites and commensals of other organisms; however, about 60% of the taxonomic records correspond to organisms collected in soft and hard bottoms, mainly between 0 and 15 m deep. The descriptions and records of species on the Colombian Caribbean coast are due to the important contributions made in the 19th century by international and national researchers.