New species of bone-eating worm Osedax from the abyssal South Atlantic Ocean (Annelida, Siboglinidae)

A new species of bone-eating annelid, Osedax braziliensis sp. n., found in a sunken whale carcass at a depth of 4,204 m at the base of the São Paulo Ridge in the South Atlantic Ocean off the Brazilian coast is described. The organism was retrieved using the human-occupied vehicle Shinkai 6500 during...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:ZooKeys
Main Authors: Yoshihiro Fujiwara, Naoto Jimi, Paulo Y.G. Sumida, Masaru Kawato, Hiroshi Kitazato
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Pensoft Publishers 2019
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.814.28869
https://doaj.org/article/176f879b21fe4e7984a505b630d81b51
Description
Summary:A new species of bone-eating annelid, Osedax braziliensis sp. n., found in a sunken whale carcass at a depth of 4,204 m at the base of the São Paulo Ridge in the South Atlantic Ocean off the Brazilian coast is described. The organism was retrieved using the human-occupied vehicle Shinkai 6500 during the QUELLE 2013 expedition. This is the 26th species of the genus and the first discovery from the South Atlantic Ocean, representing the deepest record of Osedax worldwide to date. This species morphologically resembles Osedax frankpressi but is distinguished by the presence of a yellow bump or patch behind the prostomium and its trunk length. Molecular phylogenetic analysis using three genetic markers (COI, 16S, and 18S) showed that O. braziliensis sp. n. is distinct from all other Osedax worms reported and is a sister species of O. frankpressi.