Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 November 2009
Two species of Scolelepis were found off the Venezuelan coast, one of these is a new record for this region, and the other is a species new to science: Scolelepis (Scolelepis) lighti Delgado-Blas, 2006, and Scolelepis (S.) andradei sp. nov., respectively. Scolelepis (Scolelepis) lighti was previously known only from the Gulf of Mexico and Florida, but the Venezuelan specimens closely match the original description. Scolelepis (S.) andradei is distinguished by the fusion of the anterior and posterior branchiae to the notopodial lamellae, bidentate notopodial hooded hooks starting from setigers 23–29, and the absence of notopodial hooks.