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Issue: Vol. 5796 No. 3: 22 Apr. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-04-22
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5796.3.6
Page range: 515-539
Abstract views: 119
PDF downloaded: 6

Prionospio (Annelida: Spionidae) from Indian waters, with description of a new species from Sri Lanka

A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology; Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences; 17 Palchevsky Street; Vladivostok 690041; Russia
Department of Animal Science; Faculty of Animal Science and Export Agriculture; Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka; Badulla 90000; Sri Lanka
Department of Zoology; Faculty of Science; University of Ruhuna; Matara 81000; Sri Lanka
Annelida Polychaeta systematics morphology Indian Ocean Australia

Abstract

We review previous reports of Prionospio from coastal waters of India and Sri Lanka. Of the eight species reported to date, only two—Prionospio krusadensis Fauvel, 1929 and Prionospio polybranchiata Fauvel, 1929, both originally described from the Gulf of Mannar—appear to represent correct identifications. Records of other species, originally described from distant localities, are likely misidentifications and require verification in future studies. Our investigation is based exclusively on intertidal and shallow-water samples collected from southern and southwestern Sri Lanka. We redescribe Prionospio krusadensis and describe Prionospio desilvai sp. nov. based on new material. Specimens of the latter species were misidentified by previous authors as the Arctic Prionospio cirrifera Wirén, 1883. Adults of P. desilvai sp. nov. are characterized by a combination of features that, while individually shared with other species, is unique to this taxon: two pairs of small red eyes; chaetiger 1 with notochaetae; up to 13 pairs of apinnate branchiae, each up to two times longer than the notopodial lamellae; sabre chaetae in neuropodia invariably from chaetiger 10; multidentate hooded hooks in notopodia from chaetigers 15−37 and in neuropodia from chaetigers 10−17; and the absence of dorsal crests and lateral pouches. This study represents the first comprehensive morphological and taxonomic treatment of Prionospio species from coastal waters of India and Sri Lanka since the foundational publications of Fauvel (1928, 1929, 1930, 1932, 1953) and de Silva (1965a, b). It also addresses ambiguities in the taxonomy of certain Prionospio species from Australian waters, highlighting the need for continued revisionary work on this challenging group.

 

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How to Cite

Radashevsky, V.I., Jayawickrama, R.R. & Gunawickrama, K.S. (2026) Prionospio (Annelida: Spionidae) from Indian waters, with description of a new species from Sri Lanka. Zootaxa, 5796 (3), 515–539. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5796.3.6