Putignano, Matteo; Langeneck, Joachim; Giangrande, Adriana. (2024). The forgotten diversity of the genus Myxicola (Polychaeta: Sabellidae) in North America: redescription of historical taxa and description of two new species. Journal of Natural History. 58(37-40): 1393-1427.
The forgotten diversity of the genus <i>Myxicola</i> (Polychaeta: Sabellidae) in North America: redescription of historical taxa and description of two new species
Myxicola Koch in Renier in Meneghini, 1847, is a genus of the family Sabellidae (Annelida: Polychaeta) well known for its funnel-shaped crown and showy colouration. Several taxa from the coasts of North America were described in the first half of the twentieth century. However, due to several subsequent synonymisations, the biodiversity of this genus in American waters was reduced to the presence of only two species, both with their type locality in Europe. Preliminary molecular data suggested that this view is largely incorrect, and that American Myxicola include several species. The re-examination of type material from two American museums (Museum of Comparative Zoology of Harvard University and Yale Paebody Museum of Natural History), as well as other historically collected specimens, allowed the re-establishment of several American Myxicola species. Myxicola conjuncta Bush, 1905, Myxicola affinis Bush, 1905 and Myxicola glacialis Bush, 1905 are redescribed and considered valid species, while Myxicola monacis Chamberlin, 1919 is regarded as synonymous with M. affinis. Lastly, specimens from the Gulf of Maine originally identified as Myxicola infundibulum Montagu, 1808 were found to belong to two new species.