ИСТИНА

During studies of soft sediments in two underwater marine caves near Marseille, France we found a tiny orbiniid species which we referred to a new species of the genus Scoloplos based on morphology and molecular data. Later we found a specimen of the same species in samples from Elba Island, Italy. The body width is up to 0.4 mm and the length is about 10 mm. It has pointed prostomium, 9-12 thoracic chaetigers,branchiae starting from the first abdominal segment, thoracic postchaetal neuropodial lobes mammiform with long podal papillae, no subpodal papillae, abdominal neuropodial lobes bilobed with short round inner lobe and longer outer one, abdominal notopodial lobes digitate, much shorter and thinner than branchiae,pygidium with two dorso-lateral cirri. Chaetae include crenulated capillaries in all rami, thoracic neuropodia also bear 1-3 thin strait or slightly curved, finely serrated, hooded uncini in ventral part, and abdominal notopodia bear forked chaetae with enlarged unequal tines. Some specimens have gametes in their bodycavity. The new species differs from all other congeners recorded in the Mediterranean Sea by its minute size, small number of thoracic neuropodial uncini, shape of thoracic neuropodial lobes, and shape ofabdominal parapodia. The similar small-sized species Leitoscoloplos mediterranea Çinar, Dagli & Erdogan-Dereli, 2022 was described recently, but it differs from the new species by the presence of subpodal papillae,absence of uncini and forked chaetae. Molecular data showed that the new species is a member of the Scoloplos/Leitoscoloplos clade.