Spiophanes, Grube, 1860

MEISSNER, Karin & Hutchings, Pat A., 2003, Spiophanes Species (Polychaeta: Spionidae) From Eastern Australia-With Descriptions of New Species, New Records and an Emended Generic Diagnosis, Records of the Australian Museum 55, pp. 117-140 : 139

Key to species of Spiophanes from Eastern Australia

Methyl green staining will be required for observation of most characters.

1 Occipital antenna present, nuchal organs as parallel lines along dorsum, neuropodial hooks without hoods ................................................................................... 2

Occipital antenna absent, nuchal organ short or as a pair of dorsal loops up to chaetigers 2–4, hooks with or without hoods ............................................................. 5

2 Neuropodial hooks starting on chaetiger 14, occipital antenna short, prostomium bell-shaped with distinct anterolateral horns, chaetal spreader of the “2+3 type” with wavy glandular opening developed on chaetigers 5–7, pigment inconspicuous in alcohol preserved specimens ..................................................................................................... S. modestus

Neuropodial hooks starting on chaetiger 15, occipital antenna of moderate length, prostomium bell-shaped with short anterolateral projections ...................................................................................................................................... 3

3 Chaetal spreader of the “2+3 type” with wavy glandular opening developed on chaetigers 5–7, brown pigment in parapodia of chaetigers 9–12 posteriorly along vertical slit, intersegmental genital pouches first present between chaetigers 14–15 ................................................ S. viriosus

Chaetal spreader of the “0+1 type” with semicircular glandular opening developed on chaetigers 5–7, pigment different, intersegmental genital pouches present or absent ......................................................................... 4

4 Intersegmental genital pouches present, brown pigment in parapodia of chaetigers 9–14 and in postchaetal lamella of notopodia of chaetigers 15–19 ............................................................................. Spiophanes sp. A

Intersegmental genital pouches absent, brownish pigment in neuropodia of chaetigers 9–13 and additional glandular region (usually with pink or bright orange pigment) dorsally on chaetigers 10–15 close to the bases of the notopodia ................................................................. S. japonicum

5 Neuropodial hooks without hoods, prostomium bell-shaped with short anterolateral projections and reddish pigment anteriorly to the eyes, nuchal organ as a pair of dorsal loops extending to chaetiger 4 ...................................................................................................................... S. pisinnus

Neuropodial hooks with hoods ...................................................................................................... 6

6 Prostomium slightly bell-shaped, subtriangular or oval; nuchal organ as a pair of dorsal loops extending to chaetiger 4, up to 10– 11 neuropodial hooks in one row; reddish pigment in notopodial postchaetal lamella of chaetigers 9–15 ............................................................................ S. wigleyi

Prostomium subtriangular or bell-shaped with distinct anterolateral horns; not more than 7 neuropodial hooks in one row; nuchal organ short extending to the beginning of chaetiger 3 .................................................................. 7

7 Neuropodial hooks starting on chaetiger 16; special spatulate chaetae in notopodia of chaetigers 14–19 ................................................................. S. prestigium

Neuropodial hooks starting on chaetiger 15; orange-brown pigment in neuropodia and lateral side of the body in chaetigers 10–13 ............................................................................................................................. S. dubitalis