First record of the rare deep-sea polychaete Rhamphobrachium ( Rhamphobrachium) agassizii (Annelida: Onuphidae) in European waters

Abstract Rhamphobrachium ( Rhamphobrachium ) agassizii is reported from the Cantabrian Sea, Spain, from depths of 925–1207 m. This is its first record off the Iberian Peninsula and in European waters, representing its northernmost distribution in the North Atlantic Ocean to date. Previous reports of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom
Main Authors: Arias, Andrés, Paxton, Hannelore
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0025315420000673
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0025315420000673
Description
Summary:Abstract Rhamphobrachium ( Rhamphobrachium ) agassizii is reported from the Cantabrian Sea, Spain, from depths of 925–1207 m. This is its first record off the Iberian Peninsula and in European waters, representing its northernmost distribution in the North Atlantic Ocean to date. Previous reports of R. ( R. ) agassizii from the eastern and western North Atlantic demonstrate its apparent amphi-Atlantic distribution, which appears consistent with the distribution of the main Atlantic currents. It is a typical deep-water species with its deepest record at 2165 m from the Azores archipelago. The specimens were collected singly at two stations, attesting to the rarity of the species in contrast to its congener R. ( Spinigerium ) brevibrachiatum which was the most dominant polychaete species in a previous study.