Laonice Malmgren, 1867

Type species: Nerine cirrata M. Sars, 1851 (by monotypy).

Prostomium anteriorly rounded or slightly concave, T-shaped or sometimes skittle-shaped, often fused with peristomium by antero-lateral corners. Adults with 0–3 pairs of eyespots. Occipital tentacle present (absent in L. brevicristata Pillai, 1961, L. dayianum Sikorski, 1997, L. shamrockensis Sikorski, 2003 and L. antipoda Sikorski, 2011). Caruncle often well pronounced and long, often accompanied by nuchal organ on dorsal surface extending along several anterior chaetigers. Palps without sheath at base. Nuchal (dorsal sensory) organs appear as four ciliary stripes or sometimes as a pair of ciliary loops along several anterior chaetigers. Peristomium not fused to chaetiger 1. Hooded hooks with primary hood only, absent in notopodia (except L. sarsi Söderström, 1920 and L. rossica Sikorski, 2003). Inferior neuropodial fascicles with sabre chaetae (sometimes whip-like) from the anterior part of the body onwards. Branchiae start from chaetiger 2 and present on a number of anterior chaetigers. Branchiae usually not fused with notopodial postchaetal lamellae; however, they are sometimes fused basally. Genital pouches present on a varying number of chaetigers and appear as folds between the neuropodia of neighbouring segments (sometimes including the anterior ones). Anus terminal, surrounded by two small ventral papilliform cirri, usually closely arranged to each other, and several pairs of comparatively long dorsal cirri.

Currently Laonice has36 valid species (Sikorski & Pavlova 2016; Sikorski et al. 2017).