Description of a new species of Parasphaerosyllis (Polychaeta : Syllidae :Syllinae)

During a study on the cryptofauna of coral reefs in Coiba National Park (Pa nama), specimens of an undescribed species of Parasphaerosyllis Monro, 1937 were collected. Parasphaerosyllis malimalii, n. sp. differs from all other species within the genus by its chaetal features. The new species has thic k simple chaetae on median and posterior parapodia, produced by a loss of t he blades and enlargement of the shafts. This type of chaeta is unique in t his genus, but it has been observed in other genera of the Syllidae such as Syllis and Sphaerosyllis.