Records of the giant spoon worm Ikeda taenioides (Annelida: Echiura: Ikedidae) from the Kii Peninsula, the Sea of Japan, and Amami-Oshima Island

New records of the giant spoon worm Ikeda taenioides, one of the largest echiuran species, extend its known distribution along Japanese coasts. Researchers documented proboscises from Tanabe Bay (Kii Peninsula) and Maizuru Bay (Sea of Japan), updating historical records by 70 and 51 years, respectively. A potential sighting off Amami-Oshima Island may further push the species' southern range limit. Genetic confirmation using the COI marker validated these findings, suggesting I. taenioides persists broadly from Mutsu to Ryukyu Islands. This study highlights the species' resilience but underscores urgent conservation needs due to habitat loss and human pressures.

OSHIRO, K., HIRABAYASHI, I., HENMI, Y., & GOTO, R. (2020). Records of the giant spoon worm Ikeda taenioides (Annelida: Echiura: Ikedidae) from the Kii Peninsula, the Sea of Japan, and Amami-Oshima Island. Japanese Journal of Benthology, 74(2), 93–97. https://doi.org/10.5179/benthos.74.93