Checklist of Sipuncula from the coasts of Turkey

The present paper provides an updated taxonomic list of sipunculan species known from the coasts of Turkey. A total of 21 species belonging to 5 families have been reported from the region. Eighteen species were determined in the Levantine Sea, 17 species in the Aegean Sea, 6 species in the Sea of Marmara, and a single species in the Black Sea. The family Golfingiidae had the majority of species (8 species, 38%), followed by Phascolosomatidae (5 species, 24%), Aspidosiphonidae (4 species, 19%), Phascolionidae (3 species, 14%), and Sipunculidae (1 species, 5%), respectively. The hotspot areas for the sipunculan species richness were Anamur (12 species) and the Fethiye-Gocek Specially Protected Area (11 species) in the Levantine Sea, and Izmir Bay (10 species) in the Aegean Sea. Four alien species [Nephasoma (N.) eremita, Apionsoma (A.) misakianum, Aspidosiphon (A.) mexicanus, and Aspidosiphon (A.) elegans] have been encountered from the region, of which A. (A.) misakianum was the most common species. This paper also gives a brief description of all species together with figures and distributional features.