Sphaerosyllis Claparède, 1863

Guillermo San Martin, 2005, Exogoninae (Polychaeta: Syllidae) from Australia With the Description of a New Genus and Twenty-two New Species, Records of the Australian Museum 57, pp. 39-152 : 86-87

Genus Sphaerosyllis Claparède, 1863

Sphaerosyllis Claparède, 1863: 45 .

Diagnosis. Body small, provided with similar dorsal and ventral papillae, sometimes extending to cirri and parapodia, usually covered by detritus. Prostomium with 3 antennae, 4 eyes, without eyespots, usually partially covered dorsally by peristomium. Palps fused all along their length. Single pair of tentacular cirri, located lateroventrally, directed to anteriorly. Antennae, tentacular and dorsal cirri short, pyriform to bulbous- or flask-shaped, with sphaerical bases and short, slender tips; dorsal cirri absent on chaetiger 2. Parapodial glands usually present and distinct, with fibrillar, hyaline, or granular material. Parapodia with compound, heterogomph chaetae with unidentate, short blades; dorsal and ventral simple, unidentate chaetae on some parapodia. Aciculae usually solitary, thick, distally bent at right angle; sometimes with another straight, slender acicula in anterior parapodia. Pharynx slender, provided with small, soft papillae around opening; pharyngeal tooth conical, on anterior margin. Proventricle short, provided with few (12– 20/23), large muscle cell rows. Reproduction by epigamy with incubation; mature males provided with long, thin natatory chaetae; females without natatory chaetae, brooding eggs and juveniles ventrally.

Type species. Sphaerosyllis hystrix Claparède, 1863 (fide Hartman, 1959).

Remarks. The species Sphaerosyllis bifurcata and S. bifurcatoides were originally described in the genus Parapionosyllis ; but their characters agree with the diagnosis of Sphaerosyllis and differ distinctly with that of Parapionosyllis given below. These two species are herein transferred to Sphaerosyllis .

Key to species of Sphaerosyllis recorded from Australia

1 Papillae long, distinct, with slender stalk and expanded, rounded or slightly trilobed tips. Shafts of compound chaetae distally bifid .................................................. 2

—— Papillae small, rounded, without stalk. Shafts not bifid distally ................................................... 5

2 Dorsal simple chaetae of midbody provided with a single, distinct spur and minute spines .................................................................... Sphaerosyllis rotundipapillata

—— Dorsal simple chaetae without a single, distinct spur ................................................................... 3

3 Antennae shorter than prostomium and palps together. Dorsal cirri shorter than parapodial lobes. Dorsal simple chaetae distally serrated ................................................................................................. Sphaerosyllis bifurcatoides

—— Antennae and dorsal cirri longer or similar than prostomium and palps together. Dorsal simple chaeta with spines, not serrated ..................................................... 4

4 Papillae distinct and numerous from anterior segments. Dorsalmost compound chaetae from midbody with a single, long subdistal spine on blade. Similar spine on ventral simple chaetae .......... Sphaerosyllis voluntariorum n.sp.

—— Papillae on anterior segments relatively sparse. Compound and simple chaetae without a long, subdistal spine .......................................... Sphaerosyllis bifurcata

5 Only simple chaetae from midbody; compound chaetae only on anterior parapodia .................................................................. Sphaerosyllis bardukaciculata n.sp.

—— Compound chaetae on all parapodia .............................................................................................. 6

6 All antennae in line, inserted on anterior margin of prostomium ................................................. 7

—— Median antenna inserted more posteriorly than lateral antennae .................................................. 9

7 Dorsum appears smooth, except for few long, slender papillae on pygidium ............................................................................................. Sphaerosyllis pygipapillata

—— Dorsum with distinct papillae ........................................................................................................ 8

8 Dorsum densely papillated. Parapodial glands indistinct, with granular or hyaline material .............................................................. Sphaerosyllis densopapillata

—— Dorsum relatively sparsely papillated. Parapodial glands distinct, with fibrillar material .................................................................................. Sphaerosyllis capensis

9 Antennae distinctly longer than prostomium and palps together ............................................................................................... Sphaerosyllis goorabantennata n.sp

—— Antennae similar length or shorter than the combined length of prostomium and palps together .................................................................................................... 10

10 Lateral margins of midbody segments provided with few distinctly long papillae ...................................................................................... Sphaerosyllis lateropapillata

—— Papillae all similar ........................................................................................................................ 11

11 Parapodial glands large, present from anteriormost segments. Median antenna inserted close to lateral antennae ................. Sphaerosyllis georgeharrisoni n.sp

—— Parapodial glands small, absent on more anterior segments. Median antenna distinctly posterior to lateral antennae, on posterior margin of prostomium ................................................................................................ Sphaerosyllis hirsuta