This is the first record of the phylum Gnathostomulida from Australia and Papua New Guinea. Of twenty species encountered, five are new. One also represents a new genus (Goannagnathia susannae gen. et sp. nov.), and four are new species (Pterognathia sica sp. nov., Agnathiella nominata sp. nov., Vampyrognathia varanus sp. nov., and Austrognathia australiensis sp. nov.); two others are not identified to species (Gnathostomula sp. 1 and G. sp. 2). The remaining species have been identified, some tentatively, with species previously recorded only in the Atlantic (Haplognathia gubbarnorum, Labidognathia longicollis, Tenuignathia rikerae, Austrognathia cf. christianae, and Austrognatharia cf. kirsteueri), or species already known from the Pacific (Haplognathia asymmetrica, H. rosea, H. ruberrima, Cosmognathia arcus, C. bastillae, Pterognathia ctenifera, Gnathostomula cf. maorica, and Austrognathia nannulifera). At least nine of the 20 species encountered (45%), all belonging to Filospermoidea and lower Bursovaginoidea-Scleroperalia, are cosmopolitan. |