• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.219-224
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• 2021

A hesionid species, Leocratides kimuraorum Jimi, Tanaka and Kajihara, 2017 is newly reported from the sublittoral zones (100 m depth) of the Korean coasts. This species is characterized by lateral antennae as long as the palps, peristomial membrane without papillose, peristomial dorsolateral tubercles with two round marginal lobes, and pharyngeal with terminal papillae. The intra-specific genetic distance among the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I(COI) sequences of L. kimuraorum specimens from Japan (type locality) and Korea (this study) was in the range of 0.002-0.005. The inter-specific genetic distance between L. kimuraorum and other hesionid species were 0.166-0.307. The present study is the first record of Leocratides species in Korean fauna. This paper also provides a morphological description and photographs of L. kimuraorum, with partial sequences of the mitochondrial COI based on Korean specimens.