A new species of <i>Melinnopsis</i> (Annelida, Melinnidae) from the Porcupine Abyssal Plain, northeast Atlantic.

ABSTRACT: A new species of polychaete worm, Melinnopsis nathanieli sp. nov. (Annelida, Melinnidae), is described from the Porcupine Abyssal Plain in the northeast Atlantic at ~4850 m depth. Forty-two specimens were collected during RRS James Cook cruises JC247 and JC263 in 2023 and 2024 respectively. The new species is morphologically similar to Melinnopsis gardelli and Melinnopsis chadwicki, described from deep Australian waters, but differs from these species in having fewer (~ 16) abdominal uncini in a row compared with 30 in both M. gardelli and M. chadwicki. Phylogenetic relationships among the new species and other species in the family Melinnidae were assessed using the nuclear 18S, and the mitochondrial 16S and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (CO

SUBMITTER: Gunton LM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12754599 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature