Poster Presentation Australian Marine Sciences Association 2026 Conference

Integrative Description of Lysippe indica sp. nov. (Ampharetidae) from the Waters of Bay of Bengal, India (139216)

SMITHA C K 1 2 , Anju Antony 1 , Bhavya Kachiprath 1 3 , Rosamma Philip 1
  1. Department of Marine Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry, School of Marine Sciences, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Cochin-16, COCHIN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, ERNAKULAM, KERALA, India
  2. Department of Fisheries, Kerala State, ERNAKULAM, KERALA, India
  3. Department of Marine Science, College of Natural Sciences, Incheon National University, , Incheon National University, , Incheon 22012, , Incheon, Republic of Korea

The family Ampharetidae comprises benthic, sedentary, deposit-feeding polychaetes inhabiting self-constructed sandy or muddy tubes within marine sediments. In this study, a new species, Lysippe indica sp. nov., is described from the eastern continental shelf of the Bay of Bengal, India, at a depth of 185 m. Specimens were collected during Cruise No. 353 onboard FORV Sagar Sampada in November 2016 (17°09’69.00’’ N, 83°17’89.00’’E). Ethanol-preserved specimens were analyzed using integrative taxonomy, combining morphological and molecular approaches. Morphological observations were performed using a stereomicroscope (Labomed) and compound microscope (Nikon Eclipse Ci), supported by imaging with a Canon 70D camera and detailed illustrations using a Y-IDT camera lucida. The new species closely resembles Lysippe caeca but differs by the presence of a pair of long, thick anal cirri on the pygidium, branchiae with distinct vertical white bands, and a total of 18 thoracic chaetigers. Molecular identification based on the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene (654 bp) confirmed its distinctiveness and placement within the genus Lysippe. These findings validate Lysippe indica sp. nov. as a novel species and highlight the biodiversity of deep-sea Ampharetidae in the Bay of Bengal.