Amaeana Hartman, 1959

Nogueira, João Miguel Matos, Hutchings, Pat & Carrerette, Orlemir, 2015, Polycirridae (Annelida, Terebelliformia) from Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, Zootaxa 4019 (1), pp. 437-483 : 479-480

Genus Amaeana Hartman, 1959

Amaea Malmgren 1866: 392 .

Amaeana . —Hutchings & Glasby 1986: 320; Nogueira et al. 2015: 3–9.

Type-species. Polycirrus trilobatus Sars, 1863 , by original designation.

Diagnosis. Transverse prostomium attached to dorsal surface of upper lip, usually covering segment 1 laterally and extending ventrally, terminating lateral to mouth; basal part usually as thick crest, curved to inverted V-shaped; distal part low, usually as flaring lobes, frequently with mid-dorsal process. Buccal tentacles of at least two types, short ones uniformly cylindrical, long ones spatulated; stouter and longer tentacles specialised at tips may be present. Peristomium forming lips; upper lip large, frequently circular and convoluted, folded into three lobes, swollen lower lip, button-like, restricted to oral area. Segments throughout biannulated or with more annulations, with transverse rows of papillae; segment 1 reduced, usually visible dorsal and ventrally, laterally covered by expanded prostomium. Segment 2 distinctly narrower than following segments, usually with rectangular or pentagonal mid-ventral shield at beginning of mid-ventral groove, sometimes extending anteriorly through segment 1 until near posterior margin of lower lip. Body wall papillate throughout, papillae distinctly larger and more abundant on ventro-lateral pads of anterior segments, present usually from segment 2 to last with notopodia. Notopodia beginning from segment 3, extending for variable number of segments, usually few pairs present; bilobed, elongate notopodia, lobes about same size. Notochaetae throughout usually narrowly-winged, acicular, wings inconspicuous under light microscopy, only visible under SEM; pinnate chaetae sometimes present. Neuropodia beginning posteriorly to notopodia, with gap of several achaetous segments in between; neurochaetae as distally tapered acicular spines. Nephridial and genital papillae present, usually at anterior bases of all notopodia. Pygidium smooth or with rounded ventral papilla.

Remarks. Nogueira et al. (2015) revised this genus, described seven new species and increased to 12 the number of valid taxa in this group. The most important diagnostic character of Amaeana is the presence of neuropodia bearing acicular spines, instead of uncini, as occurs in Polycirrus . Two species of Amaeana were found among the material collected in the Lizard Island Group. Full descriptions of these species are provided by Nogueira et al. (2015).