Three species of Fauveliopsidae (Annelida) from the north-western Pacific including a new species

Three distinct species of fauveliopsid polychaetes were collected from deep-sea sediments in the north-western Pacific Ocean off Japan. Two of these species were obtained from bathyal and abyssal depths in the Shikoku Basin and were identified as Fauveliopsis levensteinae and Laubieriopsis hartmanae, which have been previously re-ported from the abyssal plains of the North Pacific Ocean. The third species collected from bathyal depths off Yakushi-ma is new to science and described as Laubieriopsis verrucosa sp. nov. This new species can be distinguished from its congeners by having numerous body papillae across the whole body, 21 chaetigers, and an unpaired genital papilla on the right side of the posterior margin of chaetiger 8. A key to identify Japanese species of Fauveliopsidae is also includ-ed.