New data on Polyplacophora from Tuscan Archipelago. I. Leptochiton sarsi Kaas, 1981 and Leptochiton pepezamorai Carmona Zalvide, Urgorri & Garcia, 2004, two species new to the Mediterranean Sea Italian

Two Atlantic species of Leptochiton, L. sarsi and L. pepezamorai, were found in the Tuscan Archipelago, at the St. Lucia’s Bank. This area between the Corsica and the Gorgona Island is characterized by extensive white corals and hard bottom biocenosis extending from 125 to 800 m, which is particularly rich in molluscs. The two species were found looking over a great amount of old detritus from a depth estimated near 500 m. The study of L. sarsi (compared with some Atlantic specimens) permit us to better define some morphological features of this species, not well characterized in the original description. The collection of these Atlantic species in the Mediterranean Sea extend to 34 the number of species of Polyplacophora present in this area.