UC San Diego

Osedax is a genus of siboglinid annelids that live on and consume bones in the ocean. Aided by symbiotic bacteria Osedax dissolve the bone matrix for habitat and consume the nutrients inside. Currently there are 27 described and 10 undescribed species of Osedax from 16 localities globally. Using molecular and morphological data we described four new species bringing the total number of Osedax species to 31 and localities to 19. Two species are the first records of Osedax from New Zealand where extensive species diversity is suspected. Two species are from the Gulf of Mexico, one of which is the first species named from a reptile fall. We also expanded the ranges of five described species to Oregon, San Diego, and Costa Rica and conducted population structure analysis on nine species using the COI gene. We found shared haplotypes and evidence of genetic connectivity across broad ranges such as between California and Japan and along the Pacific coast of North and Central America.