A new polychaete genus and species of the Kongsfjorden,Spitsbergen, Svalbard

Glyphochaeta laudieni, a new genus and species of the “Spionidae”, is described from the Arctic. The specimens were collected from the Kongsfjorden, Spitsbergen, Svalbard, in a marine grotto. Glyphochaeta laudieni was associated with colonies of unidentified Bryozoa. This new genus and species is characterized by a prostomium with frontal horns, the absence of branchiae and sabre chaetae, and the presence of grooved spines which replace hooded hooks in some chaetigers of the middle body region. These spines are associated with glandular organs situated in neuropodia. The significance of characters for determining the systematic position of Glyphochaeta within “Spionidae” is discussed. Glyphochaeta laudieni is probably related to Pygospio elegans.