On the occurrence of Lepidasthenia ohshimai Okuda (Fam. Polynoidae, Polychaeta) in Palk Bay, South India

Abstract

The genus Lepidasthenia enjoys a world wide distribution and has been reported from all oceans of the world. Over 40 species have been reported so far and are distributed on the Western and Eastern shores of North America, Hawaiian Islands, Philippine Islands, Japan, China, New Zealand, Australia, East Indies, Maldives, Minicoy, Zanzibar, Red Sea, Persian Gulf, Mediterranean Sea, Galapagos Islands and the Atlantic Ocean. Potts (1910) recorded the following four species in the Indian Ocean, viz., (1) L. elegans (Grube) in Zanzibar ; (2) L. maculata Potts in Prison Island, Zanzibar ; (3) L. microlepis Potts in Hulule, Male atoll, Maldive Archipelago; and (4) L. minikoensis Potts in Minicoy. L. microlepis has also been recorded from the coral stones in Andaman islands (Fauvel, 1953). L. minikoensis was first recorded in Minicoy in a tube with Iphione muricata. Crossland has collected L. minikoensis from Galapagos Islands living as commensals with a terebellid (Monro, 1928). L. maculata var. striata is said to live in tubes of Phyllochaetopterus (Fauvel, 1953).