1. Morphological and molecular investigation of <italic>Scolelepis agilis</italic> (Verrill, 1873) (Annelida: Spionidae) from beaches of the Atlantic coast of North America.
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Bonavia, Corey, Krause, Maureen, and Williams, Jason
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CYTOCHROME oxidase , *BEACHES , *ANNELIDA , *SQUAMATA , *COASTS - Abstract
Polychaete worms of the genus
Scolelepis are one of the most abundant members of beach ecosystems worldwide. Along the Atlantic coast of North America, specimens ofScolelepis inhabiting high-energy beaches have long been erroneously identified as the European speciesScolelepis squamata (O.F. Müller, 1806). In this study, we examined specimens ofScolelepis collected from Massachusetts to Virginia, finding they matchScolelepis agilis (Verrill, 1873), originally described from beaches in New Jersey.Scolelepis agilis can be most easily distinguished fromS. squamata based on differences in palp ciliary pattern, morphology of neuropodial lamellae, and the quantity and start of both notopodial and neuropodial hooded hooks. Live specimens ofS. agilis collected from New York were also examined to provide data on their reproduction and morphometric analyses. In addition, molecular data (18S, 28S rRNA, cytochrome c oxidase I and 16S rRNA) showed that specimens ofS. agilis from the north to mid-Atlantic coast formed a monophyletic group (p -distance ≤ 0.004 for MA, RI, NY and VA populations) and were distinct fromS. squamata (p -distance ≥ 0.196 (0.03 SE)). The molecular data also suggest the presence of several misidentified or undescribed species ofScolelepis , highlighting the need for additional taxonomic work on the genus from these localities as well as others (e.g. South Africa) where the worms have been incorrectly identified asS. squamata . A key to species ofScolelepis from the east coast of the United States is provided and a lectotype and paralectotypes forS. agilis are herein designated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2024
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