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Report on deep-sea bonelliids (Echiura) from the East Equatorial Atlantic Ocean

Ramlall BISESWAR

en Zoosystema 32 (1) - Pages 139-154

Published on 30 March 2010

This report contains descriptions of 14 species of deep-sea bonelliids of which five are indeterminate species. The specimens were collected during the ZAIANGO-BIOL 2 and BIOZAIRE 1, 2 and 3 cruises that were undertaken in the East Equatorial Atlantic Ocean between August 2000 and January 2004. This report gives additional information on some of the species that were described from damaged or incomplete specimens by previous authors. One bonelliid female in the collection, which is incomplete, has been tentatively assigned to the genus Sluiterina. The gonoduct of this specimen has an accessory sac opening into it. To date, such a gonoduct has not been described in any other bonelliid species. It is very likely that additional material from that region in the future may reveal that this specimen belongs to a new genus. Another female which is also incomplete has been assigned to the genus Bruunellia. This specimen has an anal vesicle which differs markedly from those described so far in all the other bonelliid species. Detailed studies on additional specimens from that region in the future may indicate that it belongs to a new species. All the species in this report have been recorded previously either from the subtropical or from the North-East Atlantic. The discovery of these bonelliids in the East Equatorial Atlantic Ocean, south of 5°S latitude, are new records for this region and now extends the geographical ranges of the species southwards.


Keywords:

Echiura, Bonelliidae, deep-sea, East Equatorial Atlantic, new records.

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