ИСТИНА

A number of new polychaetes records were found in Kuwait’s coastal zone during intertidal and subtidal survey in 2013-2015. Paralacydonidae and Protodrillidae are new families for the Arabian region, including the the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Gulf. Nerillidae, Saccocirridae and Shaerodoridae are new families for the Arabian Gulf. Monticellina (Cirratulidae), Podarkeopsis (Hesionidae), Leitoscoloplos (Orbiniidae), Levinsenia (Paraonidae), Pseudopotamilla (Sabellidae) are new genera for the Arabian region. Aphrodita (Aphroditidae), Protocirrineris (Cirratulidae), Augeneria, Lumbrineriopsis (Lumbrineridae), Pholoe (Pholoidae), Malmgreniella (Polynoidae), Fabriciola (Fabricidae) are new genera for the Arabian Gulf. The analysis of the sequence data for the 18S rRNA, 16S rRNA and CO1 genes has shown cryptic speciation with two clades within Leodamas chevalieri (Orbiniidae). All these facts indicate that polychaete biodiversity of Arabian Gulf in general and Kuwait particularly is highly underestimated and needs further faunictic and taxonomical studies.