A new record of Lamellibrachia columna (Siboglinidae, Annelida) from cold seeps off New Zealand, and an assessment of its presence in the western Pacific Ocean

Lamellibrachia columna Southward was originally described from hydrothermal vents of the Lau Basin, between Fiji and Tonga. This study utilizes phylogenetic and morphological analyses to confirm the collection of Lamellibrachia columna from cold seeps on the Hikurangi Margin off New Zealand, thereby extending its geographic range southward by approximately 1900 km. We also propose, based on molecular evidence, that specimens previously reported from vents in the Nankai Trough, Japan and seeps off southern and eastern Japan are L. columna. Furthermore, we suggest that Lamellibrachia sagami Kobayashi et al. described from cold seeps off southern and eastern Japan is a junior synonym of Lamellibrachia columna. Our work confirms that L. columna is found at two types of chemosynthetic habitat over a wide geographic range in the western Pacific Ocean.