Sphaerosyllis claparedei Ehlers, 1864

Faulwetter, Sarah, Simboura, Nomiki, Katsiaras, Nikolaos, Chatzigeorgiou, Giorgos & Arvanitidis, Christos, 2017, Polychaetes of Greece: an updated and annotated checklist, Biodiversity Data Journal 5, pp. 20997-20997 : 20997

Sphaerosyllis claparedei Ehlers, 1864

Notes

Questionable status. Sphaerosyllis claparedei is a poorly known species. Ehler's original description is detailed overall, but not clear on all characters that are used nowadays to distinguish species (e.g. papillation pattern, shape of chaetae, parapodial glands etc.). The species is not included in the treatise of the family by San Martín (2003). A character which allegedly distinguishes Sphaerosyllis claparedei from other species of the genus is the presence of a dorsal cirrus on the second chaetiger. However, other species were also originally described with this feature (e.g. Sphaerosyllis hystrix Claparède, 1863) although it is in fact absent (see also remarks under Sphaerosyllis ovigera Langerhans, 1879). Ehlers (1864) also describes the dorsal cirri as having a "knob-like shape" at their tip, at least in the anterior chaetigers. This could be an indication for retractile cirri, as seen in Prosphaerosyllis . As no recent re-descriptions exist which take into account characters used nowadays to distinguish species, the status of the species remains unclear and specimens should be revised. Type locality: Mediterranean (Porto di Lazaretto, Adriatic).