Lepidasthenia Malmgren, 1867

Salazar-Vallejo, Sergio I., Gonzalez, Norma Emilia & Salazar-Silva, Patricia, 2015, Lepidasthenialoboi sp. n. from Puerto Madryn, Argentina (Polychaeta, Polynoidae), ZooKeys 546, pp. 21-37 : 26-27

Taxon classification Animalia Phyllodocida Polynoidae

Lepidasthenia Malmgren, 1867

Type species.

Polynoe elegans Grube, 1840, by monotypy.

Diagnosis

(modif. Seidler 1923). Body long with up to 150 segments. Elytra small, not covering each other, leaving dorsal region mostly uncovered; posterior region with one pair of elytra every three segments. Each elytron rounded, margins entire, without tubercles, pale or pigmented. Tentaculophores without chaetae. Notopodia reduced, without notochaetae. Neuropodia projecting with several types of neurochaetae. Ventral surface usually smooth.

Remarks.

There was some confusion regarding the presence of notochaetae, but in the original diagnosis for Lepidasthenia , Malmgren (1867:15-16) indicated: "Ramus superior pedis perminutus acicula sola praeditus, setis omnino carens." [Transl. Notopodium with minute acicula, chaetae entirely lacking]. An extended diagnosis was provided by Barnich et al. (2012: 406-407).

It must be emphasized that what can be regarded as the Lepidasthenia elytra-cirri pattern in the posterior region is shared by Perolepis and Telolepidasthenia . However, in Perolepis species the integument is usually rugose, and at least the first elytrophores are hypertrophied into distinct peduncles or stems, whereas in Lepidasthenia the integument is smooth and all elytrophores are reduced. Furthermore, in Telolepidasthenia elytrae are large, covering most of the dorsum, and all neurochaetae are unidentate, whereas in Lepidasthenia only the first elytra are large enough to touch each other and the remaining ones are reduced exposing the dorsum, and the dentition of the neurochaetal tips is variable.