TY  - JOUR
AB  - A taxonomic survey of <i>Marphysa</i> species (Polychaeta: Eunicida: Eunicidae) from coastal regions of northern Australia including recently collected specimens from a fish farm near Darwin, yielded three species: <i>M. mullawa</i> Hutchings & Karageorgopolous, 2003, a first record from northern Australia; <i>M. mossambica</i> (Peters, 1854; was <i>Nauphanta mossambica</i>), first confirmed record from Australia; and a new species, <i>M. fauchaldi</i>. The new species was recorded from intertidal muddy shores as well as in the sediments of fish farm ponds, where it was extremely abundant. It is characterised by a unique combination of chaetal features. A newly proposed informal subgroup of <i>Marphysa</i>, the Teretiuscula-group, is erected to contain the new species and other <i>Marphysa</i> species that share the possession of compound spinigerous chaetae in anterior parapodia only and the peculiar behaviour of encapsulating embryos in jelly cocoons. Morphologically, the new species falls between a group of <i>Marphysa</i> species having only compound spinigers and the recently resurrected genus <i>Nauphanta</i>, which completely lacks compound chaetae. The discovery of this new species necessitated a re-evaluation of the morphological features of <i>Nauphanta</i> and <i>Marphysa</i> species lacking falcigers, in particular homology of fan chaetae, the only apparent synapomorphy of <i>Nauphanta</i>. Fan chaetae appear to be a specialised type of pectinate chaetae, which are found also in species of <i>Marphysa</i> including the new species. Based on this finding, and an evaluation of other characters, <i>Nauphanta</i> is returned to synonymy with <i>Marphysa</i>. Further, an analysis of size-related variation of key morphological characters in <i>M. mossambica</i> and comparison with those in the types of <i>M. novaehollandiae</i> (Kinberg, 1865; formerly <i>Nauphanta</i>) and <i>M. simplex</i> Treadwell, 1922, indicated that both species should be synonymised with <i>M. mossambica</i>. A key is provided to identify <i>Marphysa</i> species of the Indo-west Pacific. 
A1  - Glasby, Chris J.
A1  - Hutchings, Patricia A.
DO  - 10.11646/zootaxa.2352.1.2
JO  - Zootaxa
N1  - World Polychaeta Database (WPolyDb)
IS  - 1
SP  - 29
EP  - 45
C1  - 2352(1): 29–45
TI  - A new species of <i>Marphysa</i> Quatrefages, 1865 (Polychaeta: Eunicida: Eunicidae) from northern Australia and a review of similar taxa from the Indo-west Pacific, including the genus <i>Nauphanta</i> Kinberg, 1865
UR  - http://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.2352.1.2
VL  - 2352
PY  - 2010
Y2  - 2026-03-07
ER  -