Scale worm diversity in abyssal and hadal environments (Aphroditiformia, Annelida)

Scale worms (Aphroditiformia) have long been recognized as a major component to the composition of deep-sea communities, yet their overall diversity and distribution is unknown. This dataset is the first comprehensive census of scale worms inhabiting depths at or below 3000 m. The literature analyses across all species recognized by the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) revealed 418 records and 122 species spread across Aphroditidae, Polynoidae and Sigalionidae, of which the second was the most species rich. Within Polynoidae, 12 species were identified as hadal zone exclusives.
Some of the specimens have been acquired on the following RV Investigator voyage(s)
IN2017_V03
IN2022_V08
If this data has been used in any products, please acknowledge with the following: We acknowledge the use of the CSIRO Marine National Facility (https://ror.org/01mae9353) in undertaking this research.