First records of Lacydonia eliasoni Hartmann-Schröder, 1996 (Polychaeta: Phyllodocida) in the European Arctic

Abstract

Lacydonia (Polychaeta: Phyllodocida) is a poorly known genus containing 16 species that are sporadically collected in low densities all over the world oceans. During three cruises (in June 2014 in Ullsfjorden, northern Norway, in January 2015 in Kongsfjorden, and in June 2012 in Smeerenburg, Svalbard) nine specimens of Lacydonia eliasoni were found on sandy and muddy sediments at depths from 180 to 350 m. All specimens were incomplete and consisted of 10 to 29 chaetigers. This study presents the first record of the Lacydonia genus in the waters of Svalbard as well as the first record of L. eliasoni in coastal waters off northern Norway. This species has been reported previously in the Skagerrak and Trondheimsfjorden (southern Norway), our findings therefore may indicate a northward extension of its range, possibly due to climate changes.

Lacydonia shohoensis (Annelida, Lacydoniidae) sp. nov. – a new lacydonid species from deep-sea sunken wood discovered at the Nishi-Shichito Ridge, North-western Pacific Ocean

“…In general, members in Lacydonia have been found from bottom sediments collected with van Veen grabs and box corer grabs (e.g. Böggemann, 2009; Magalhães et al ., 2012; Rizzo et al ., 2016; Mazurkiewicz et al ., 2017), with the one exception of L. hampsoni Blake, 1994 reported from experimentally deployed wood parcels (Judge & Barry, 2016). During our faunal survey, sediments around the sunken wood were collected by the use of a suction sampler, agitated in seawater as well as fresh water, and sieved with a 64-μm mesh net to extract meio- and macrofaunal species live on or a few centimetres below the sediment surface; nevertheless, we could not find any lacydonid species from the nearby sediments.…”

“…Lacydoniidae Bergström, 1914 currently harbours 14 nominal species from the Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic and Antarctic Oceans (Rizzo et al ., 2016; Mazurkiewicz et al ., 2017). The members have been known to occur among encrusting algae on coral rubbles as well as in sandy and muddy substrata mixed with shell debris, gravel and volcanic rocks (Rouse & Pleijel, 2001; Rizzo et al ., 2016; Mazurkiewicz et al ., 2017).…”

“…Lacydoniidae Bergström, 1914 currently harbours 14 nominal species from the Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic and Antarctic Oceans (Rizzo et al ., 2016; Mazurkiewicz et al ., 2017). The members have been known to occur among encrusting algae on coral rubbles as well as in sandy and muddy substrata mixed with shell debris, gravel and volcanic rocks (Rouse & Pleijel, 2001; Rizzo et al ., 2016; Mazurkiewicz et al ., 2017). Information on the natural history of Lacydoniidae, including reproductive ecology, feeding behaviour and population biology, is completely lacking due to difficulties in obtaining a large number of specimens from sediment samples (Rouse & Pleijel, 2001; Magalhães et al ., 2012).…”