Eusyllinae (Polychaeta: Syllidae) from Australia with the Description of a New Genus and Fifteen New Species
Author
San Martin, G
Author
Hutchings, PA
text
Records of the Australian Museum
2006
58
257
370
journal article
2201-4349
Genus
Eusyllis
Malmgren, 1867
Eusyllis
Malmgren, 1867: 40
.
Eudontosyllis
Knox, 1960: 105
.
Type
species
.
Eusyllis blomstrandi
Malmgren, 1867
Diagnosis
. Body of medium to small size (10 to <
5 mm
in length), cylindrical. Prostomium with 4 eyes and sometimes 2 anterior eyespots. Three antennae. Palps either entirely free or fused just basally. Nuchal organs as 2 ciliated grooves, ciliation extending sometimes to prostomium and peristomium, as well as other segments. Two pairs of tentacular cirri. Antennae, tentacular and dorsal cirri nonarticulated, sometimes rugose, with pseudoarticulate appearance. Compound chaetae; dorsal and ventral simple chaetae on some parapodia. Pharynx with mid-dorsal tooth, usually large and conspicuous, and incomplete crown of small denticles, anteriorly pointing. Pygidium with 2 anal cirri. Reproduction by epigamy (
Garwood, 1991
).
Remarks
.
Eusyllis
is characterized by having an incomplete trepan on the pharynx, with all teeth anteriorly directed, and a mid-dorsal, usually large, tooth. Species of this genus are typically large, even so the denticles of the trepan are small and sometimes difficult to observe, which can lead to misidentifications.
Eusyllis brevicirrata
Knox & Cameron, 1971
from
New Zealand
, reported in
Australia
by Hartmann- Schröder (1985), reproduces by schizogamy (San Martín, pers. observ., on Australian material) so we suggest that this species represents a member of the subfamily
Syllinae
probably an undescribed genus (San Martín
et al.
, in prep.). Australian material agrees with the original description based on
New Zealand
material.
Eudontosyllis
has been recently proposed as a synonymy of
Eusyllis
by Glasby
et al
., (in press).