Boring worms (Sipuncula and Annelida: Polychaeta) from Tropical Eastern Pacific coral reefs (Gorgona Island, Colombia)

The knowledge of boring worms in the coral reefs of the Colombian Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) is scarce. To know which species bore into coralline substrates, experimental units made of dead branches of Pocillopora spp. were deployed and exposed in the coral reefs of Gorgona Island (Colombian Pacific) during various periods of time. A total of 571 worms in 21 species were collected. Of these, 18 were polychaetes and 3 sipunculids. Most of these species correspond to new records in the Colombian TEP, specifically 13 of the 18 species of polychaetes and 2 of the 3 species of sipunculids. These findings suggest that more research is needed to gain knowledge about the biodiversity of these poorly-known groups in understudied regions like the Colombian TEP.