Sipuncula from the southern coast of Turkey (eastern Mediterranean), with a new report for the Mediterranean Sea

The faunistic analysis of hard and soft benthic samples taken from 0 to 200 m depths on the southern coast of Turkey in September and October 2005 yielded 18 sipunculan species and 20706 individuals belonging to nine genera. One species (Nephasoma (Nephasoma) eremita) is new to the Mediterranean fauna and ten species to the Levantine fauna of Turkey. Three alien sipunculan species, Apionsoma (A.) misakianum, Aspidosiphon (A.) mexicanus and Aspidosiphon (A.) elegans, were found in the area. Aspidosiphon (A.) elegans, a bio-eroder species, seems to have become established in the region. This study gives additional data regarding some morphological, distributional and reproductive features of the species found in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. A taxonomic key to the species found in the region is given.