Distribution extension of a vent scale worm Branchinotoglumabipapillata (Polychaeta, Polynoidae) in the Indian Ocean

Branchinotogluma Pettibone, 1985 is the most species-rich genus within the subfamily Lepidonotopodinae Pettibone, 1983, comprising 18 valid species from chemosynthesis-based ecosystems in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Here, we report a new distributional record of Branchinotoglumabipapillata Zhou, Wang, Zhang & Wang, 2018, at the hydrothermal vent sites on the northern Central Indian Ridge (nCIR). This record represents the northernmost occurrence of B.bipapillata in the Indian Ocean. We conducted a comparative study of the nCIR population and other documented populations using distributional information, morphological traits, and genetic markers (two mitochondrial [COI, 16S rRNA] and one nuclear [18S rRNA] genes). While most morphological characters of B.bipapillata were consistent with those found in the Southwest Indian Ridge (SWIR), variations were noted in the segment with the last branchiae. Molecular data revealed that all populations of B.bipapillata form a single clade, indicating a wide distribution from the SWIR to nCIR, covering ~4,000 km across various ridges in the Indian Ocean. This study presents extensive distribution of a vent species with well-connected populations throughout the Indian Ocean, distinguishing it from many other vent species affected by the dispersal barrier in the Indian Ocean.