Paraonidae (Polychètes sédentaires) de Méditerranée

The study of various collections of Polychaeta Paraonidae from the Mediterranean (continental shelf, continental slope and abyssal plain) has shown a great interest. Seven species and three subspecies are new to science. One species related to a deep-atlantic previously descaribed species, is new to the Mediterranean. Some morphological comparative studies are carried out for species not existing in the Mediterranean. The 28 species or subspecies reviewed in this work are generally located in the western Mediterranean. Regarding the repartition with depth, four species are strictly located in the abyssal plain, while three others are widely distributed from the first tens of meters to the largest depths. Most of remaining species inhabit the continental shelf or the beginning of the slope ; few of them have within this field definite ecological requirements, particularly in the infralittoral zone. [NOT CONTROLLED OCR]