Taxonomic update and new discoveries in Nereididae (Polychaeta: Phyllodocida) of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman: two new species and four new records

This study updates the inventory of Nereididae species along the Iranian coasts of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, building on the last major survey in 2017 by Bonyadi-Naeini and her colleagues. Through extensive sampling across 12 coastal locations, we expand the known diversity of nereidid polychaetes in these regions. Our findings include the discovery of two new species, Neanthes farurensis sp. nov. and Nereis quadrata sp. nov., and the report of four new geographical records for the Gulf of Oman: Nereis persica Fauvel, 1911, Nereis cf. persica sensu Bonyadi-Naeini et al. (this study), Nereis pelagica Linnaeus, 1758, and Neanthes willeyi (Day, 1934). This research elevates the total number of recorded nereidid species in these waters to 53, highlighting the rich and still unfolding biodiversity of the area.