Genus Scolelepis Blainville, 1828

Scolelepis Blainville, 1828; type-species: Lumbricus squamata Müller, 1806, by monotypy.

Aonis sensu Audouin & Milne-Edwards, 1833 [Not Savigny, 1822] (misapplication of Savigny´s genus for Nereis caeca ( Nephtyidae))

Asetocalamyzas Tzetlin, 1985 (dwarf male of a spionid, not a parasitic syllid as originally described)

Nerine Johnston, 1838 (subjective synonym)

Nerinides Mesnil, 1896 (subjective synonym)

Pseudomalacoceros Czerniavsky, 1881 (subjective synonym)

Scolecolepis Malmgren, 1867 (unjustified emendation)

[Synonymy fide Read, 2015]

Diagnosis. Prostomium pointed on anterior margin, sometimes truncate, posteriorly extended into pointed caruncle, rarely flattened or depressed or blunt, caruncle attached or detached; occipital tentacle present or absent. Peristomium well-developed, with or without lateral wings encompassing prostomium partially. Nuchal organs and metameric dorsal ciliated organs not discernable (by means of light microscopy). Palps without median ciliated groove, but usually with two distinctly or indistinctly separated bands of transverse rows of cilia present. Branchiae present from chaetiger 2, continuing to near end of body, in anterior chaetigers completely fused to notopodial lamellae or distally free; accessory branchiae present or absent. Anterior chaetae limbate capillaries, usually arranged in two rows; posteriorly hooks and capillaries present, hooks with 0–3 apical teeth with a falcate or straight shaft (subgenus Scolelepis) or multidentate with large main fang, several apical teeth and curved shaft (subgenus Parascolelepis). In Parascolelepis palpal sheaths are well-developed, in Scolelepis palpal sheaths are short and fused to the palp. Pygidium with oval disc or multilobed.

Remarks. According to Eibye-Jacobsen (1997) Scolelepis (Parascolelepis) appears to be defined on the basis of good autapomorphies, whereas Scolelepis (Scolelepis) may well be paraphyletic. Some authors have used Scolelepis and Parascolelepis as full genera (e.g., Blake & Arnofsky 1999, Williams 2007) though a formal statement regarding this matter was not given.