Two new species of Manunema are described from the coast of Kuwait, one from the intertidal in Kuwait Bay and one found at shallow subtidal sites in the Arabian Gulf. Like other species of Manunema, the two species described here are characterised by coarse striation of the cuticle; a tapered, trunk-like cervical region; a large, elongate oesophageal bulb and corresponding swelling of the body; absence of cervical setae; pedunculate somatic setae; paired outstretched ovaries in females, tubular precloacal supplements in males and a pair of simple, curved spicules in males. Manunema kithara sp. nov. differs from other species in the genus by its characteristic, elongate, double oesophageal bulb which resembles a guitar in shape, being broader in the posterior half, and by the shape and form of the two precloacal supplements in the males. Manunema kuwaitiensis sp. nov. is similar to both M. proboscidis and M. annulata in having a weakly double oesophageal bulb, but differs in the morphology and position of the single precloacal supplement in males.
Analysis of phytoplankton variations and community structure in Kuwait Bay, Northwestern Arabian Gulf
