Barnichia crialesae gen. nov., sp. nov., from the western Atlantic (Annelida, Polychaeta, Polynoidae, Polynoinae)

Abstract

The family Polynoidae contains the highest number of genera in all marine annelids. Subfamilies like Polynoinae include genera with numerous segments and others with few segments (often from the deep sea) which, over the past 20 years, has been used to distinguish among newly proposed genera. However, this character is not robust enough and there are some morphological patterns still unrecognized. Drawing upon specimens collected during the University of Miami Deep Sea Expeditions along the western Atlantic (1962–1975), a new genus is herein proposed. Barnichia gen. nov. resembles Neohololepidella Pettibone, 1969 in having a tentacular segment with chaetae and facial tubercle and differs in having acicular lobes very long, filiform, notochaetae tapered, and neurochaetae with long smooth distal region (acicular lobes triangular, without filiform processes, notochaetae blunt, and neurochaetae without smooth distal region in Neohololepidella). In addition, a key to polynoin genera similar to Barnichia gen. nov. is included, and a new species, Barnichia crialesae sp. nov., is described based on specimens from Florida, Panama, and Suriname, being characterized by having elytra with smooth margins and globular to tack-shaped microtubercles.