Small worms of Sthenelanellinae, Pholoinae and Pisioninae (Annelida, Sigalionidae) from the Tropical Northwestern Atlantic

Abstract

The family Sigalionidae is characterized, among other features, by including scale worms with large bodies. However, among sigalionids, the subfamilies Sthenelanellinae, Pholoinae, and Pisioninae stand out by their small representatives with few segments and fragile bodies. In the Tropical Northwestern Atlantic, which includes part of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, these subfamilies have been rarely studied, with few species recorded, and questionable records. This contribution aims to improve the knowledge of sthenelanellins, pholoins, and pisionins in the region through a faunistic study based on material from two Mexican scientific collections: the Reference Collection of Laboratorio de Biodiversidad y Cambio Climático (BIOMARCCA) and the Reference Collection of Benthos (ECOSUR) of El Colegio de la Frontera Sur. Pisione wolfi is confirmed from the Tropical Northwestern Atlantic, and three new species are described: Sthenelanella pechi sp. nov., S. sarae sp. nov. and Taylorpholoe anabelae sp. nov. A key to all Sthenelanella and Taylorpholoe species is also included.