Subtidal benthic polychaetes (Annelida) of the Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica

Abstract

One hundred and forty six species of polychaetes belonging to 35 families were identified from material collected from 25 subtidal sample sites in the Gulf of Nicoya. One hundred and twenty five of these species were present in multireplicate collections taken seasonally at four stations with contrasting sedimentary environments. The three most commonly collected species at these four stations were the capitellids Mediomastus californiensis? and Notomastus luridus and the spionid Prionospio mulfibranchiata. These results indicate that the polychaete fauna of the Gulf of Nicoya has not been adequately characterized and may be of greater species richness than previously reported.