Diversity and taxonomy of Ampharetidae (Polychaeta) from Icelandic waters

Abstract

Based on material collected during the BIOICE project off Iceland, the taxonomy and distribution of seventeen species (11 genera) of polychaetous annelids belonging to the family Ampharetidae (Annelida; Polychaeta) is reviewed. Eleven of these species were pre- viously reported in the area or nearby areas: Amage auricula, Anobothrus gracilis, Glyp- hanostomum pallescens, Grubianella klugei, Lysippe fragilis, L. labiata, L. sexcirrata, L. vanelli, Samythella elongata, Sosane bathyalis and S. wireni. Five species, Amage benhami, Melinnampharete eoa, Noanelia hartmanae, Ymerana pteropoda and Zatsepinia rittichae, either never or only once reported after original description, are redescribed or discussed. A potentially new species, Amage sp., is described but not named because only one specimen is present. Several body characters of high taxonomic relevance in Ampha- retidae are reviewed using SEM. The distribution of each species off Iceland is provided.