Thelepodinae Hessle, 1917

Santos, Andre Souza Dos, Nogueira, João Miguel De Matos, Fukuda, Marcelo Veronesi & Christoffersen, Martin Lindsey, 2010, New terebellids (Polychaeta: Terebellidae) from northeastern Brazil, Zootaxa 2389 (1), pp. 1-46 : 4-5

Subfamily Thelepodinae Hessle, 1917

Diagnosis. Terebellids with 0–3 pairs of branchiae, each consisting of multiple unbranching filaments originating independently. Ventral surface of body highly glandular anteriorly, discrete ventral shields absent. Notopodia extending for variable number of segments, with distally winged or distally serrated notochaetae. Neuropodia with uncini arranged in single rows throughout.

Remarks. Nogueira et al. (in press) recognized two groups of thelepodines, one of which consisting of the genera Decathelepus Hutchings, 1977 , Glossothelepus Hutchings & Glasby, 1988 , Rhinothelepus Hutchings, 1974 , Telothelepus Day, 1955 , and, according to our recent observations, Parathelepus Caullery, 1915 , the other group containing the rest of the subfamily.

Thelepodines of the first group have an upper lip much longer than wide and body divided in two regions, the first with some anterior achaetous segments followed by few segments with notopodia only and then biramous parapodia, the second region with neuropodia only. The notochaetae in this group are distally winged, although most taxa also have bayonet-chaetae, at least on some anterior chaetigers (Nogueira et al. in press). The neuropodia are present as sessile ridges on the first region and as slightly raised pinnules on the second. The uncini are about as long as high, with dorsal button situated away from anterior margin of uncini and a conspicuous prow is present (Nogueira et al. in press).

Thelepodines of the second group have an upper lip about as long as wide and the body regions are not always clearly marked, since notopodia extend until posterior body in several taxa. The notochaetae of this group are mostly distally winged, but distally serrated notochaetae are present in a few taxa. The neuropodia are present as fleshy, slightly raised structures on the segments with biramous parapodia, and raised pinnules on the segments after notopodia terminate, in the taxa which have body regions clearly marked. The uncini may be similar to those of the thelepodines of the first group or, more commonly, are distinctly longer than wide, with dorsal button at anterior margin of the uncini, or close to it, and reduced to inconspicuous prow (Nogueira et al. in press).