Genus Syllis Savigny in Lamarck, 1818

Syllis Savigny in Lamarck, 1818: 318. Ioida Johnston, 1840: 231 .

Trichosyllis Schmarda, 1861: 73 .

Gnathosyllis Schmarda, 1861: 69 .

Isosyllis Ehlers, 1864: 251 .

Pagenstecheria Quatrefages, 1865: 17 . Aporosyllis Quatrefages, 1865: 87 .

Heterosyllis Kinberg, 1866: 248

Thoe Kinberg, 1866: 42 .

Laomedora Kinberg, 1866: 249

Eurymedusa Kinberg, 1866: 249 .

Chaetosyllis Malmgren, 1867: 162 . Typosyllis Langerhans, 1879: 528 .

Ehlersia Quatrefages, 1865: 104 .

Langerhansia Czerniavsky, 1881: 395 . Reductotyposyllis Hartmann-Schröder, 1974: 123 . Type species: Syllis monilaris Savigny in Lamarck, 1818: 317.

Type material examined. Eurymedusa picta . NEW SOUTH WALES. Port Jackson, 33°54'S, 151°11’E, 1866, coll. Kinberg, syntype (SMNH 6864).

Diagnosis. Body sub-cylindrical. Palps basally fused. Distinctly annulate antennae and tentacular, anal, and dorsal cirri. Pharynx with a single tooth, located on anterior rim or slightly posteriorly, margin of pharynx with crown of soft papillae. Compound falcigerous chaetae, sometimes with pseudospinigers in some parts of body, thick pseudo-simple chaetae produced by blade-loss and shaft-enlargement or by shaft and blade fusion, only partial fusion in some species. Dorsal and ventral simple chaetae present. Reproduction by scissiparous schizogamy (one single stolon at a time). For further information see San Martín (1992, 2003).

Remarks. We herein include the genus Eurymedusa in the list of synonymies, which was considered by Hartman (1959) to be synonymous with Trypanosyllis Claparède, 1864, and to Odontosyllis Claparède, 1863, although San Martín & Hutchings (2006) questioned the approach. We have examined Kinberg’s type material of Eurymedusa picta (SMNH 6864) collected in Australia, confirming that it is in fact a species belonging to Syllis .