Polychaetes (Annelida: Polychaeta) from the Aegean and Levantine coasts of Turkey, with descriptions of two new species

In this paper, soft-bottom polychaete species collected in August and September 2011 in the Aegean and Levantine Seas (4325 m) are presented. A total of 358 species belonging to 48 families were found. Two species, Leonnates aylaoberi sp. nov. and Levinsenia materi sp. nov., are new to science and 14 species are new records for the marine fauna of Turkey. Syllidae and Spionidae were represented by a high number of species. The highest polychaete density was estimated as 5660 ind.m2 in the area. The most dominant species in the area were Lumbrineris geldiayi, Owenia fusiformis and Sigambra tentaculata. A total of 21 alien polychaete species were encountered in the area, of which Streblospio gynobranchiata formed a dense population in the Aegean Sea (Izmir Bay), and Prionospio depauperata and Prionospio saccifera in the Levantine Sea. Four hot spot areas for the settlement of alien species were determined in the area. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:4ECEC9B2-1604-4768-B152-BBEAE257249F