Description of a new species of Hypereteone (Annelida, Phyllodocidae) after nine decades from Indian waters, Bay of Bengal

Phyllodocidae, comprising 45 genera, of which 32 are currently recognized as taxonomically valid, represents one of the most diverse families within the order Phyllodocida. Within this family, the genus Hypereteone presently includes nine valid species, with only Hypereteone barantollae (Fauvel, 1932) previously reported from Indian waters. In the present study, Hypereteone indica sp. nov. is described from freshly collected specimens obtained from the intertidal habitats of Udaypur beach, Odisha and Hijli beach, West Bengal, along the northern Bay of Bengal coast, India. Detailed morphological investigations, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), clearly distinguished the new species from its congeners. Although H. indica sp. nov. exhibits close morphological affinity to Hypereteone aestuarina (Hartmann-Schröder, 1959) and Hypereteone fauchaldi (Kravitz and Jones, 1979), it can be readily distinguished from other species by 14 terminal ring papillae, chaetae with a consistently long first-tier tooth, ventral cirri equal in length to the neuropodia throughout the body, and additional distinct diagnostic characters discussed herein. Furthermore, a dichotomous identification key and a comparative matrix of diagnostic traits for all ten recognized species are provided to facilitate accurate species delimitation and identification.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:61889DDA-231A-41DD-B013-D1F81DE99A78