Trypanosyllis zebra (Grube, 1860)

Faulwetter, Sarah, Simboura, Nomiki, Katsiaras, Nikolaos, Chatzigeorgiou, Giorgos & Arvanitidis, Christos, 2017, Polychaetes of Greece: an updated and annotated checklist, Biodiversity Data Journal 5, pp. 20997-20997 : 20997

Trypanosyllis zebra (Grube, 1860)

Notes

Species complex. Due to its distinct colouration (dark dorsal stripes), Trypanosyllis zebra has long been considered a cosmopolitan species. Álvarez-Campos et al. (2017) recovered seven cryptic species worldwide, five of which are described as new species as they can also be morphologically distinguished. The analysis recovered at least three clades in the Mediterranean: Trypanosyllis krohnii Claparède, 1864 (re-instated, designated as type species of the genus and used as the preferred name for Mediterranean species), Trypanosyllis sp. 2 (differing from Trypanosyllis krohnii in bathymetrical distribution) and a clade from Crete (originally identified as Trypanosyllis zebra by Chatzigeorgiou et al. (2016), labelled Trypanosyllis cf. krohnii in the analyses). Greek specimens did not have enough support in the analyses to be placed unambiguously. Unfortunately, no material from the type locality of Trypanosyllis zebra in the Adriatic Sea was included in the analyses, so it remains unclear how many clades exist in the Mediterranean and whether Trypanosyllis zebra and Trypanosyllis krohnii are synonymous or distinct species. Until these ambiguities are resolved, all material from Greece is listed under the name Trypanosyllis zebra .