Deep-Sea taxon details
Nicon Kinberg, 1865
173735 (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:173735)
accepted
Genus
- Species Nicon ablepsia Wang, Cheng & Wang, 2021
- Species Nicon abyssalis Hartman, 1967
- Species Nicon maculata Kinberg, 1865
- Species Nicon pettiboneae de León-González & Salazar-Vallejo, 2003
- Species Nicon yaquinae Fauchald, 1977
- Species Nicon benhami Hartman, 1967 accepted as Nicon maculata Kinberg, 1865 (subjective synonym)
- Species Nicon ehlersi Hartman, 1953 accepted as Nicon maculata Kinberg, 1865 (subjective synonym)
- Species Nicon polaris Hartman, 1967 accepted as Kainonereis polaris (Hartman, 1967) (superseded original combination)
marine, brackish, fresh, terrestrial
recent only
masculine
Kinberg, J.G.H. (1865). Annulata nova. [Continuatio.]. <em>Öfversigt af Königlich Vetenskapsakademiens förhandlingar, Stockholm.</em> 22(2): 167-179., available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/32339443
page(s): 178 [details]
page(s): 178 [details]
Etymology Not stated, but probably from Greek mythology. Nicon was a member of the Telchines (or Telkhines), said to be the original...
Taxonomy de León-González & Trovant (2013) state: "Some important characteristics were not included by Pettibone (1971) because at...
Etymology Not stated, but probably from Greek mythology. Nicon was a member of the Telchines (or Telkhines), said to be the original inhabitants of the Island of Rhodes, and according to some sources were the descendents of Thalassa and Pontus, being described as marine beings by Eusthathius. Their mythology is confused, but they appear to have been considered as mostly male entities. See https://pantheon.org/articles/t/telchines.html. Kinberg (1865) created a masculine adjectival name for what became the type species (pictus), another masculine adjectival name (tahitanus), and a feminine adjectival name (maculata from the feminine noun 'macula' meaning spot), plus another three names which were nouns in apposition. [details]
Taxonomy de León-González & Trovant (2013) state: "Some important characteristics were not included by Pettibone (1971) because at...
Taxonomy de León-González & Trovant (2013) state: "Some important characteristics were not included by Pettibone (1971) because at that time she recognized N. maculata as the only member of the genus." This statement is incorrect, because Nicon aestuariensis also remained valid and is in Pettibone's genus key. Five other nominal species could not be assigned elsewhere by Pettibone (as indeterminable or doubtfully in Nicon), so their status was uncertain. One of these was Nicon abyssalis, subsequently regarded as valid by de León-González & Trovant (2013:73). Also N. ehlersi and N. benhami were recognisable from types or descriptions as subjective synonyms of N. maculata. Another, Nicon pictus, designated type of the genus by Hartman (1948:57) as first reviser) was deemed indeterminable by Pettibone (1971:49, but this opinion does not alter its type species status (see Type Designation note). [details]
Read, G.; Fauchald, K. (Ed.) (2026). World Polychaeta Database. Nicon Kinberg, 1865. Accessed through: Glover, A.G.; Higgs, N.; Horton, T. (2026) World Register of Deep-Sea species (WoRDSS) at: https://www.marinespecies.org/deepsea/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=173735 on 2026-01-16
Glover, A.G.; Higgs, N.; Horton, T. (2026). World Register of Deep-Sea species (WoRDSS). Nicon Kinberg, 1865. Accessed at: https://www.marinespecies.org/deepsea/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=173735 on 2026-01-16
Date
action
by
original description
Kinberg, J.G.H. (1865). Annulata nova. [Continuatio.]. <em>Öfversigt af Königlich Vetenskapsakademiens förhandlingar, Stockholm.</em> 22(2): 167-179., available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/32339443
page(s): 178 [details]
additional source Wu, Bao-Ling; Sun, Ruiping. (1979). Revision of the genera Nicon and Rullierinereis, with description of a new genus Sinonereis (Polychaeta, Nereidae). <em>Oceanic Selections.</em> 2(2): 95-112. [details] Available for editors
additional source Clarke, Andrew; Johnston, Nadine M. (2003). Antarctic marine benthic diversity. <em>Oceanography and Marine Biology: an Annual Review.</em> 41: 47-114. (look up in IMIS) [details] Available for editors
status source Hartman, Olga. (1948). The marine annelids erected by Kinberg. With some notes on some other types in the Swedish State Museum. <em>Arkiv för Zoologi.</em> 42(1): 1-137, & plates 1-18.
page(s): 57; note: designated Nicon pictus as type of Nicon [details] Available for editors
status source Hartman, Olga. (1958). A new nereid worm from Warm Mineral Springs, Fla., with a review of the genus <i>Nicon</i> Kinberg. <em>Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences.</em> 48(8): 263-266., available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/39744459
page(s): 265; note: Key to genus, and again states Nicon pictus is type of Nicon. [details]
status source Alves, Paulo R.; Halanych, Kenneth M.; Silva, Edson P.; Santos, Cinthya S. G. (2023). Nereididae (Annelida) phylogeny based on molecular data. <em>Organisms Diversity & Evolution.</em> 23(3): 529-541., available online at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13127-023-00608-9
page(s): 9 of 13; note: Author's molecular analysis places Nicon in Nereidinae, but formerly in Gymnonereidinae [details] Available for editors
identification resource de León-González, Jesús Angel; Trovant, Berenice. (2013). A new species of <i>Nicon</i> Kinberg, 1866 (Polychaeta, Nereididae) from Ecuador, Eastern Pacific, with a key to all known species of the genus. <em>ZooKeys.</em> 269: 67-76., available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.269.4003
page(s): 74; note: couplet key. Some species names are misspelled in the article [details]
identification resource Wang, Yueyun; Cheng, Hong; Wang, Chunsheng. (2021). A new eyeless species of <i>Nicon</i> (Annelida: Nereididae) from the deep Northwest Pacific Ocean. <em>Acta Oceanologica Sinica.</em> 40(12): 20-26., available online at https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-021-1886-z
page(s): 25; note: couplet key to all species (some misspelled) hitherto considered valid [details] Available for editors
identification resource Hartman, Olga. (1958). A new nereid worm from Warm Mineral Springs, Fla., with a review of the genus <i>Nicon</i> Kinberg. <em>Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences.</em> 48(8): 263-266., available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/39744459 [details]
identification resource Pettibone, Marian H. (1971). Revision of some species referred to <i>Leptonereis</i>, <i>Nicon</i>, and <i>Laeonereis</i> (Polychaeta: Nereididae). <em>Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology.</em> 104: 1-53., available online at http://si-pddr.si.edu/dspace/handle/10088/5689
page(s): 8; note: Pettibone retained 2 species. A number of other nominal species were reassigned or were indeterminable. [details] Available for editors
page(s): 178 [details]
additional source Wu, Bao-Ling; Sun, Ruiping. (1979). Revision of the genera Nicon and Rullierinereis, with description of a new genus Sinonereis (Polychaeta, Nereidae). <em>Oceanic Selections.</em> 2(2): 95-112. [details] Available for editors
additional source Clarke, Andrew; Johnston, Nadine M. (2003). Antarctic marine benthic diversity. <em>Oceanography and Marine Biology: an Annual Review.</em> 41: 47-114. (look up in IMIS) [details] Available for editors
status source Hartman, Olga. (1948). The marine annelids erected by Kinberg. With some notes on some other types in the Swedish State Museum. <em>Arkiv för Zoologi.</em> 42(1): 1-137, & plates 1-18.
page(s): 57; note: designated Nicon pictus as type of Nicon [details] Available for editors
status source Hartman, Olga. (1958). A new nereid worm from Warm Mineral Springs, Fla., with a review of the genus <i>Nicon</i> Kinberg. <em>Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences.</em> 48(8): 263-266., available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/39744459
page(s): 265; note: Key to genus, and again states Nicon pictus is type of Nicon. [details]
status source Alves, Paulo R.; Halanych, Kenneth M.; Silva, Edson P.; Santos, Cinthya S. G. (2023). Nereididae (Annelida) phylogeny based on molecular data. <em>Organisms Diversity & Evolution.</em> 23(3): 529-541., available online at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13127-023-00608-9
page(s): 9 of 13; note: Author's molecular analysis places Nicon in Nereidinae, but formerly in Gymnonereidinae [details] Available for editors
identification resource de León-González, Jesús Angel; Trovant, Berenice. (2013). A new species of <i>Nicon</i> Kinberg, 1866 (Polychaeta, Nereididae) from Ecuador, Eastern Pacific, with a key to all known species of the genus. <em>ZooKeys.</em> 269: 67-76., available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.269.4003
page(s): 74; note: couplet key. Some species names are misspelled in the article [details]
identification resource Wang, Yueyun; Cheng, Hong; Wang, Chunsheng. (2021). A new eyeless species of <i>Nicon</i> (Annelida: Nereididae) from the deep Northwest Pacific Ocean. <em>Acta Oceanologica Sinica.</em> 40(12): 20-26., available online at https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-021-1886-z
page(s): 25; note: couplet key to all species (some misspelled) hitherto considered valid [details] Available for editors
identification resource Hartman, Olga. (1958). A new nereid worm from Warm Mineral Springs, Fla., with a review of the genus <i>Nicon</i> Kinberg. <em>Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences.</em> 48(8): 263-266., available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/39744459 [details]
identification resource Pettibone, Marian H. (1971). Revision of some species referred to <i>Leptonereis</i>, <i>Nicon</i>, and <i>Laeonereis</i> (Polychaeta: Nereididae). <em>Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology.</em> 104: 1-53., available online at http://si-pddr.si.edu/dspace/handle/10088/5689
page(s): 8; note: Pettibone retained 2 species. A number of other nominal species were reassigned or were indeterminable. [details] Available for editors
Present Inaccurate Introduced: alien Containing type locality
From editor or global species database
Diagnosis Original diagnosis by Kinberg (1865: 178): ''Papillae pharyngis desideratae, partes laterales segmentorum aequales; branchiae triangulares; setae verutae acutae et falcigerae.'' [details]Etymology Not stated, but probably from Greek mythology. Nicon was a member of the Telchines (or Telkhines), said to be the original inhabitants of the Island of Rhodes, and according to some sources were the descendents of Thalassa and Pontus, being described as marine beings by Eusthathius. Their mythology is confused, but they appear to have been considered as mostly male entities. See https://pantheon.org/articles/t/telchines.html. Kinberg (1865) created a masculine adjectival name for what became the type species (pictus), another masculine adjectival name (tahitanus), and a feminine adjectival name (maculata from the feminine noun 'macula' meaning spot), plus another three names which were nouns in apposition. [details]
Grammatical gender Ambiguous but probably masculine. Some modern-times taxonomists have adopted the gender of feminine as stated by Pettibone (1971: 7), possibly because Nicon maculata was given a feminine suffix by Kinberg. However, if the name came from Nicon as one of the Telchines in Greek Mythology, then the genus should more probably be masculine, as Telchines were apparently male entities (although also a family of beings). Kinberg also named Nicon pictus (masculine) and Nicon tahitanus (assumed masculine). Kinberg's namings created uncertainty. Nicon salinus Hernández-Alcántara & Dávila-Jiménez, 2025 is the latest new name, with the genus regarded as masculine and Nicon maculata Kinberg changed to N. maculatus without commentary on the issue. [details]
Taxonomy de León-González & Trovant (2013) state: "Some important characteristics were not included by Pettibone (1971) because at that time she recognized N. maculata as the only member of the genus." This statement is incorrect, because Nicon aestuariensis also remained valid and is in Pettibone's genus key. Five other nominal species could not be assigned elsewhere by Pettibone (as indeterminable or doubtfully in Nicon), so their status was uncertain. One of these was Nicon abyssalis, subsequently regarded as valid by de León-González & Trovant (2013:73). Also N. ehlersi and N. benhami were recognisable from types or descriptions as subjective synonyms of N. maculata. Another, Nicon pictus, designated type of the genus by Hartman (1948:57) as first reviser) was deemed indeterminable by Pettibone (1971:49, but this opinion does not alter its type species status (see Type Designation note). [details]
Type designation Contrary to the usages of Pettibone (1971), Hutchings & Reid (1990:73) and de León-González & Trovant (2013), Nicon maculata is not the type of Nicon. Nicon pictus remains the Nicon type, regardless of whether it can still be defined now from re-examination of its syntype material. Kinberg (1866:178) included six new species in Nicon, of which N. pictus from Brazil was first mentioned, but did not name a type. Hartman (1948 & 1958) duly designated N. pictus as type species (because it was first in page priority), and described the four syntypes. Pettibone (1971:7) supplanted that nominal species as type in favour of N. maculata, but later authors cannot change prior acts in such a way because of the obvious need to maintain nomenclatural stability. This late second designation is thus invalid under the ICZN Code (Art 69.1 "... no later designation [subsequent to first author to designate] is valid"). [details]
