Oenone Savigny

Zanol, Joana & Ruta, Christine, 2015, New and previously known species of Oenonidae (Polychaeta: Annelida) from Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, Zootaxa 4019 (1), pp. 745-772 : 762-763

Genus Oenone Savigny in Lamarck, 1818

Type-species. Aglaura fulgida Savigny in Lamarck, 1818

Diagnosis. Prostomium round with three antennae under anterior edge of peristomium; at least four eyes present. Peristomium single ringed at least dorsally, notch at anterior edge absent. Dorsal maxillary carriers long and slender, strongly sclerotized. Five maxillary plates, shape of plates symmetric (MxI and MxII with similar shape and size in both sides) or asymmetric (right MxI shorter than left; right MxII longer than left). Mandibles fully developed. Notopodial cirri expanded, usually, foliaceous. Neuropodia prechaetal lobes usually shorter than postchaetal. Most chaetae capillary, subacicular hooks bidentate or mucronate.

Remarks. Ten species have been described or placed within Oenone . Currently, only Oenone fulgida (Savigny in Lamarck, 1818) is considered valid by most authors, all other species being synonymized with it. Specimens identified as O. fulgida have been described as having asymmetric or symmetric maxillae (e.g., Crossland 1924; Imajima 1967). The former is the state observed in the types ( Savigny 1820). Such intraspecific variation and wide distribution range are uncommon in other Eunicida species and suggest that many species have been artificially lumped under the name O. fulgida ( Fauchald 1970) .

Halla australis Haswell, 1886 (type locality Port Jackson, Sydney, NSW) and O. haswelli Benham, 1915 (type locality Flinders Island and between Newcastle and Port Stephens, NSW) were described from the Australian coast. Both have been synonymized with O. fulgida and bear asymmetrical maxillae and right MxI with all teeth similar, as described for the type.

Informative characters for species delimitation are uncertain. Oenone diphyllidia Schmarda, 1861 was revalidated based on symmetric maxillae and shape of the teeth of the hook ( Carrera-Parra 2009). We use the shape of anteriormost teeth of the right MxI and presence of ventral eyes on the peristomium to justify the species here described.

TABLE 3. Key features of Drilonereis species with four maxillary plates, maxillae plate I basally dentate and reduced mandibles present. Information taken from original description, unless otherwise stated.

Tobago

Hartman, 1942.b, Hartman, 1951. c, Treadwell 1921. (?), not clearly stated, information based on illustration. Mx, maxillae plate.