GENUS Bispira Krøyer, 1856

Bispira Krøyer, 1856: 13 .— Knight-Jones and Perkins, 1998: 405 –406.— Capa, 2008: 306 –307. Distylia de Quatrefages, 1866: 421.— Knight-Jones and Perkins, 1998: 405.

Metalaonome Bush, 1905: 192 .— Knight-Jones and Perkins, 1998: 405.

Bispira brunnea (Treadwell, 1917)

Metalonome (sic) brunnea Treadwell, 1917: 268, Pl. 3, Figs 24–27. Sabella bahamensis Augener, 1922b: 48 .— Knight-Jones and Perkins, 1998: 433. Bispira brunnea .— Knight-Jones and Perkins, 1998: 433, Figs 19–20.— Tovar-Hernández and Salazar- Vallejo, 2006: 31–33, Fig. 4.— Giangrande et al. 2007: 43, 45.— Tovar- Hernández and Pineda-Vera, 2008: 6, 8–13, Figs 1–2, 4–6.

Type locality: Bahamas, Nassau Harbour.

Type material: AMNH 982 (HT).

Records: Gulf of Mexico, British Virgin Islands (Tovar-Hernández & Salazar-Vallejo 2006), Belize (Giangrande et al. 2007), Mexican Caribbean (Tovar-Hernández & Pineda-Vera 2008).

Bispira melanostigma (Schmarda, 1861)

Sabella melanostigma Schmarda, 1861: 36, Pl. 22, Fig. 190.— Méndez Ubach, 1988: 379.— Bastida- Zavala, 1993: 25.— San Martín et al. 1994: 556.

Sabella variegata Krøyer, 1856: 29, 30.— Knight-Jones and Perkins, 1998: 415. Sabella thoracica Krøyer, 1856: 31, 32.— Knight-Jones and Perkins, 1998: 415. Sabella bipunctata Baird, 1865: 158 –159.— Knight-Jones and Perkins, 1998: 415. Bispira melanostigma .— Knight-Jones and Perkins, 1998: 415 –419, Figs 11–12.— Tovar-Hernández and Salazar-Vallejo, 2006: 33 –35, Fig. 5.— Giangrande et al. 2007: 45, Fig. 1B.

Type locality: Jamaica.

Type material: NHMW (ST).

Records: Bermuda (Méndez Ubach 1988), Mexican Caribbean (Bastida-Zavala 1993, Ochoa-Rivera et al. 2000, Tovar-Hernández & Salazar-Vallejo 2006), Belize (Giangrande et al. 2007), Cuba (San Martín et al. 1994), Panama, British Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Jamaica, Antigua, Saint Martin (Tovar-Hernández & Salazar-Vallejo 2006).

Remarks: Sabella thoracica, B. variegata and B. melanostigma are synonyms. Although S. thoracica and B. variegata have priority over B. melanostigma, those names have not been used since 1856, except B. variegata by Perkins (1984). Conversely the name melanostigma has been in frequent use since its inception and is the name used by the curators of most museums. Therefore, to conserve the name melanostigma, the precedence of S. thoracica and B. variegata should be waived (Art. 23, Sect. 9, International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, 2000).

Bispira paraporifera Tovar-Hernández and Salazar-Vallejo, 2006 Bispira paraporifera Tovar-Hernández and Salazar-Vallejo, 2006: 35 –36, Fig. 6. Type locality: Mexico, Quintana Roo, Puerto Aventuras, on dead coral. Type material: LACM-AHF (HT).

Records: Only known for the type locality.