Autolytus rubrovittatus Claparède, 1864

Nygren, Arne, 2004, Revision of Autolytinae (Syllidae: Polychaeta)., Zootaxa 680, pp. 1-314 : 161

Autolytus rubrovittatus Claparède, 1864

Autolytus rubrovittatus Claparède, 1864: 563 –565, pl. 7, fig. 3; Langerhans 1879: 576; Fauvel 1923: 320 –321, fig. 123A–D.

? Autolytus rubrovittatus Hartmann­Schröder 1979a: 83 , fig. 57–58.

Description. No type material exist; description based on original description. Length 10 mm for 60 chaetigers, including one stolon behind chaetiger 37. Live specimens with 3 faintly? red longitudinal lines in atokous part. Ciliation not described.

Eyes separated ( Claparède 1864: fig. 3); eye spots present. Palps in dorsal view projecting 1/4–1/3 of prostomial length ( Claparède 1864: fig. 3). Extension of nuchal epaulettes to half of chaetiger 1.

Antennae, tentacular cirri and first dorsal cirri with same arrangement as usual. Dorsal cirri equal in length to c. body width, alternation in length not described. Cirrophores seem to be present on all dorsal cirri as interpreted from illustration ( Claparède 1864: fig. 3). All appendages cylindrical.

Unknown number of acicula. Unknown number of chaetae. Compound chaetae described as tridentate. Single thin bayonet chaetae present.

Pharynx with sinuation anterior to proventricle. Trepan in chaetiger 3, with 7 large teeth, each alternating with 4–5 smaller. Basal ring present; infradental spines present. Proventricle, equal in length to 2–3 segments, in chaetiger 8–9 or 7–9. In the text the proventricle is described as occupying chaetiger 4–9, but this must be erroneous as the pharynx extends from chaetiger 3–7, and do not extend beyond the beginning of the proventricle.

Reproduction and morphology of epitokous stages. Schizogamy. Female stolon with 4+14+5 chaetigers. Tentacular cirri 1 pair. Eggs pale reddish.

Distribution. Mediterranean.

Remarks. With only Claparède's description, it is not possible to determine if the taxon is valid or not. The identity of Hartmann­Schröder's specimens as A. rubrovittatus is doubtful, as these have much shorter dorsal cirri, hardly projecting the parapodial lobes. The trepan in A. rubrovittatus is much like that found in M. brachycephala , but in M. brachycephala , the large teeth alternate with only 1–3 smaller teeth. Body sides may anteriorly be somewhat reddish in M. brachycephala as described for A. rubrovittatus , but a mid­line is not known to be present in the former species. However the trepan could have been misinterpreted by Claparède, and the colour­variation in M. brachycephala not fully understood; if synonymous, A. rubrovittatus has priority. Autolytus rubrovittatus is here considered as Myrianida incerta sedis .