Spinosphaera Hessle, 1917

Londoño-Mesa, Mario H., 2009, Terebellidae (Polychaeta: Terebellida) from the Grand Caribbean region 2320, Zootaxa 2320 (1), pp. 1-93 : 60-62

Spinosphaera Hessle, 1917

Hessle, 1917:207–209.— Hartman, 1944:274.— Londoño-Mesa, 2003:748, Figs1 A-F.

Type species: Spinosphaera pacifica Hessle, 1917 , by original designation.

Diagnosis: Branchiae absent; eyespots sometimes present; lateral lappets absent; ventral shields from segment 1 or 2; nephridial papillae from segments 4–10, 12 or even segment 17; pairs of notopodia from segment 4, in variable number; notochaetae bilimbate capillaries on anterior thoracic notopodia (about seven chaetigers), and spinosphaera-chaetae on the rest of notopodia; pairs of neuropodia from segment 5; uncini avicular in single rows from segment 5–10; in double rows, arranged face to face, for some segments before posterior end or to the pygidium.

Remarks: Only two species have been described in the Caribbean , S. carrerai Londoño-Mesa, 2003 , from the southern Mexican Caribbean , and S. hutchingsae Londoño-Mesa, 2003 , from the Mexican Caribbean . Since the genus has been recently revised ( Londoño-Mesa, 2003) only a diagnosis is provided here. No additional specimens have been found of this genus, and thus both species are considered rare species in the region.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Uncini types: A. Avicular. B. Pecinate. MF: Main Fang. Sr: Subrostrum. USr: Upper Subrostrum. LSr: Lower Subrostrum. SrP: Subrostral Process. SrA: Subrostral Appendix. AP: Anterior Process. AF: Anterior Filament. Bs: Base. PP: Posterior Process. PF: Posterior Filament. Cp: Capitium. Oc: Occipitium. UOc: Upper Occipitium. LOc: Lower Occipitium.