Key to genera and species of Nereididae reported from Western Australia
The key to genera and species of Nereididae from Western Australia is based on taxonomic literatures, Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS) dataset (https://obis.org), and the present study. The OBIS dataset was downloaded on 27 July 2022 and species that are registered and deposited in museums were included. In total, 75 species were compiled (Table 2).
1 Ventral peristomial flap present......................................... Cheilonereis peristomialis Benham, 1916
- Ventral peristomial flap absent.......................................................................... 2
2 Parapodial branchial filaments present, arise from dorsal notopodial ligules........ Dendronereides zululandica Day, 1951
- Parapodial branchial filaments absent..................................................................... 3
3 Anterior ventrum with fleshy transverse ridges.............................. Australonereis ehlersi (Augener, 1913)
- Anterior ventrum smooth.............................................................................. 4
4 Antennae absent......................................................................... Micronereis ... 5
- Antennae present..................................................................................... 6
5 Spinigerous chaetal shafts with internal septa......................... Micronereis bansei (Hartmann-Schröder, 1979) *
- Spinigerous chaetal shafts without internal septa................................. Micronereis halei Hartman, 1954 *
6 Notopodia reduced (no lobes or ligules)................................................................... 7
- Notopodia well developed (at least one lobe or ligule present)................................................. 8
7 Notochaetae present, few................................................... Namalycastis abiuma (Grube, 1872)
- Notochaetae absent.......................................... Namanereis quadraticeps (Blanchard in Gay, 1849)
8 Proboscis smooth...................................................... Nicon rotunda Hutchings & Reid, 1990
- Proboscis with paragnaths or papillae..................................................................... 9
9 Proboscis with papillae only........................................................................... 10
- Proboscis with paragnaths and papillae, or paragnaths only................................................... 13
10 Ventral cirri bifid.................................................................................... 11
- Ventral cirri not bifid................................................................................. 12
11 Dorsal cirri bifid in anterior parapodia................................ Gymnonereis yurieli Hutchings & Reid, 1990
- Dorsal cirri not bifid............................................ Ceratocephale aureola Hutchings & Reid, 1990
12 Papillae on both maxillary and oral rings.................................... Olganereis edmondsi (Hartman, 1954)
- Papillae on oral ring only................................................... Websterinereis foli (Fauvel, 1930)
13 Proboscis with paragnaths and papillae................................................................... 14
- Proboscis with paragnaths only......................................................................... 16
14 Chaetae comprise spinigers only.................................... Paraleonnates bolus (Hutchings & Reid, 1991)
- Chaetae comprise spinigers and falcigers..................................................... Leonnates … 15
15 Falcigers present in all neuropodia............................................. Leonnates indicus Kinberg, 1865
- Falcigers absent in anterior neuropodia.................................. Leonnates crinitus Hutchings & Reid, 1991
16 Paragnaths on maxillary ring only....................................................................... 17
- Paragnaths on both maxillary and oral rings............................................................... 28
17 Paragnaths small and rod-like........................................... Solomononereis marauensis Gibbs, 1971
- Paragnaths conical................................................................................... 18
18 Prostomium with incised anterior margin................................................... Ceratonereis … 19
- Prostomium with entire anterior margin.................................................................. 23
19 Notopodial falcigers unidentate (without a small distal tooth)................................................. 20
- Notopodial falcigers bidentate (with a small distal tooth)..................................................... 21
20 Prechaetal lobes of anterior neuropodia extend slightly further than acicula lobe, postchaetal lobes of anterior neuropodia mostly subtriangular, two bright spots usually visible between front eyes and antennae bases........................................................................... Ceratonereis (Ceratonereis) perkinsi Hartmann-Schröder, 1985
- Prechaetal lobes of anterior neuropodia extend much further than acicula lobe, postchaetal lobes of anterior neuropodia broadly rounded, no bright spots between front eyes and antennae bases..................................................................................................... Ceratonereis singularis australis Hartmann-Schröder, 1985
21 Heterogomph falcigers in ventral fascicles of neuropodia bidentate....................................................................................... Ceratonereis (Ceratonereis) longiceratophora Hartmann-Schröder, 1985
- Heterogomph falcigers in ventral fascicles of neuropodia both bidentate and unidentate, or unidentate only............. 22
22 Dorsal notopodial ligules less than half as long as ventral notopodial ligules in posterior chaetigers......................................................................................... Ceratonereis mirabilis Kinberg, 1865 *
- Dorsal notopodial ligules slightly shorter than ventral notopodial ligules in all chaetigers................................................................................................. Ceratonereis tentaculata Kinberg, 1865
23 Neuropodial fused falcigers absent............................................. Composetia costae (Grube, 1840)
- Neuropodial fused falcigers present (in dorsal fascicles)......................................... Simplisetia … 24
24 Area III without paragnaths..................................... Simplisetia transversa (Hutchings & Turvey, 1982)
- Area III with paragnaths.............................................................................. 25
25 Anterior neuropodia with digitiform postchaetal lobes....................................................... 26
- Anterior neuropodia without digitiform postchaetal lobes.................................................... 27
26 Area III with cones and domes; 19 paragnaths in total............... Simplisetia amphidonta (Hutchings & Turvey, 1982)
- Area III with cones only; 41 paragnaths in total.......... Simplisetia lizardensis (Ben-Eliahu, Hutchings & Glasby, 1984)
27 Area II with 2 curved rows of 10‒12 cones................................ Simplisetia erythraeensis (Fauvel, 1918)
- Area II with an oblique block of more than 25 cones........................... Simplisetia aequisetis (Augener, 1913)
28 Paragnaths with cones only; smooth bars if present only on Area IV............................................ 29
- Paragnaths with smooth bars on Area VI or p-bars in addition to cones, or pectinate bars only....................... 54
29 Notopodial homogomph falcigers present........................................................ Nereis … 30
- Notopodial homogomph falcigers absent................................................................. 41
30 Oral ring without paragnaths..................................... Nereis maxillodentata Hutchings & Turvey, 1982
- Oral ring with paragnaths............................................................................. 31
31 Areas VII‒VIII with a narrow band of more than 40 paragnaths............................................... 32
- Areas VII‒VIII with one row of fewer than 20 paragnaths.................................................... 33
32 Notopodial homogomph falcigers present from chaetiger 3...................... Nereis cockburnensis Augener, 1913 *
- Notopodial homogomph falcigers present after chaetiger 10........................... Nereis jacksoni Kinberg, 1865
33 Simple hooks present in notopodia............................................. Nereis onychophora Horst, 1918
- Simple hooks absent................................................................................. 34
34 Blades of notopodial homogomph falcigers smooth......................................................... 35
- Blades of notopodial homogomph falcigers with lateral teeth................................................. 36
35 Area I with more than 5 paragnaths........................................... Nereis angusticollis Kinberg, 1865
- Area I with 0‒1 paragnaths........................................................... Nereis edentata n. sp. *
36 Blades of notopodial homogomph falcigers with at least one large lateral tooth, similar size to terminal tooth........... 37
- Blades of notopodial homogomph falcigers with smaller lateral teeth only....................................... 40
37 Notopodial homogomph falcigers present from chaetiger 3................................. Nereis yuedensis n. sp. *
- Notopodial homogomph falcigers present after chaetiger 10.................................................. 38
38 Dorsal notopodial ligules not reduced in posterior chaetigers..................... Nereis denhamensis Augener, 1913 *
- Dorsal notopodial ligules strongly reduced (or absent) in posterior chaetigers.................................... 39
39 Blades of notopodial homogomph falcigers with one large lateral tooth and variable number of much smaller teeth basally. Dorsal notopodial ligules much smaller but still visible in posterior chaetigers.... Nereis bifida Hutchings & Turvey, 1982 *
- Blades of notopodial homogomph falcigers with 1‒2 large lateral teeth and much smaller teeth basally. Dorsal notopodial ligules absent in posterior chaetigers........................................ Nereis heirissonensis Augener, 1913 *
40 Area I without paragnaths. Area III with 0‒1 paragnaths.................... Nereis cirriseta Hutchings & Turvey, 1982
- Areas I and III with more than one paragnath........................................ Nereis peroniensis Kott, 1951
41 Neurochaetae with spinigers only..................................... Nectoneanthes oxypoda (Marenzeller, 1879)
- Neurochaetae with spinigers and falcigers..................................................... Neanthes … 42
42 Notopodia with three well-developed ligules.............................................................. 43
- Notopodia with two well-developed ligules, small prechaetal lobes may present.................................. 46
43 Oral ring with a continuous band of paragnaths, 2‒5 deep....................... Neanthes cricognatha (Ehlers, 1904) *
- Oral ring with isolated groups of paragnaths.............................................................. 44
44 Area IV with smooth bars..................................................... Neanthes tasmani Bakken, 2002
- Area IV without smooth bars........................................................................... 45
45 Area VI with paragnaths....................................................... Neanthes bongcoi Pillai, 1965
- Area VI without paragnaths............................................... Neanthes pachychaeta (Fauvel, 1918)
46 Area IV with smooth bars....................................................... Neanthes bassi Wilson, 1984
- Area IV without smooth bars........................................................................... 47
47 Areas VII‒VIII with a continuous band of paragnaths, 2‒4 deep............................................... 48
- Areas VII‒VIII with 1‒2 rows of paragnaths.............................................................. 51
48 Area VI with centrally isolated group of paragnaths....................... Neanthes isolata Hutchings & Turvey, 1982
- Area VI with 1‒2 rows of paragnaths.................................................................... 49
49 Area VI with one row of paragnaths. Areas VII‒VIII with usually fewer than 50 paragnaths......................................................................................... Neanthes uniseriata Hutchings & Turvey, 1982
- Area VI with 2 rows of paragnaths. Areas VII‒VIII with usually more than 50 paragnaths........................................................................................... Neanthes biseriata Hutchings & Turvey, 1982
50 Area I without paragnaths............................................................................. 51
- Area I with paragnaths................................................................................ 52
51 Small notopodial prechaetal lobes present................................. Neanthes kerguelensis (McIntosh, 1885)
- Notopodial prechaetal lobes absent............................................ Neanthes dawydovi (Fauvel, 1937)
52 Areas VII‒VIII with usually 2 rows of more than 30 paragnaths........................ Neanthes vaalii Kinberg, 1865
- Areas VII‒VIII with usually 1-2 rows of fewer than 20 paragnaths............................................. 53
53 Area VI with usually more than 5 paragnaths. Dark brown bands usually present on chaetiger 2.............................................................................................. Neanthes unifasciata (Willey, 1905) *
- Area VI with usually one paragnath......................................... Neanthes semperiana (Grube, 1878) +
54 Paragnaths with pectinate bars only......................................................... Platynereis … 55
- Paragnaths with smooth bars on Area VI or p-bars in addition to cones.......................................... 58
55 Notopodial homogomph falcigers present from chaetiger 3‒5. Areas VII‒VIII with one row of paragnaths.............................................................................. Platynereis uniseris Hutchings & Reid, 1991 *
- Notopodial homogomph falcigers present after chaetiger 12. Areas VII‒VIII with 2‒3 rows of paragnaths.............. 56
56 Notopodial homogomph falcigers absent in adults............................ Platynereis australis (Schmarda, 1861)
- Notopodial homogomph falcigers present in posterior chaetigers.............................................. 57
57 Notopodial homogomph falcigers present from chaetiger 13‒17. Blades of homogomph falcigers smooth................................................................................. Platynereis polyscalma Chamberlin, 1919 *
- Notopodial homogomph falcigers present from chaetiger 21‒30. Blades of homogomph falcigers with fine serrations........................................................................... Platynereis antipoda Hartman, 1954 *
58 Paragnaths with smooth bars on Area VI in addition to cones..................................... Perinereis … 59
- Paragnaths with p-bars in addition to cones................................................. Pseudonereis … 73
59 Area VI with one smooth bar.......................................................................... 60
- Area VI with more than one smooth bar.................................................................. 64
60 Area IV with smooth bars in addition to cones............................. Perinereis amblyodonta (Schmarda, 1861)
- Area IV without smooth bars........................................................................... 61
61 Areas VII‒VIII without paragnaths............................................. Perinereis suluana (Horst, 1924)
- Areas VII‒VIII with paragnaths........................................................................ 62
62 Area V with 1 paragnath (rarely 2)........................................... Perinereis obfuscata (Grube, 1878)
- Area V with 3 paragnaths (rarely 1)..................................................................... 63
63 Notopodial ligules not greatly expanded posteriorly; Area III with 9‒20 paragnaths; greenish-brown pigment anterodorsally.......................................................................... Perinereis helleri (Grube, 1878) *
- Notopodial ligules greatly expanded posteriorly; Area III with 21‒35 paragnaths; dark brown to black anterodorsally.......................................................................... Perinereis nigropunctata (Horst, 1889)
64 Area VI with 2 smooth bars............................................................................ 65
- Area VI with more than 2 smooth bars................................................................... 68
65 Area I with more than 3 paragnaths. Area III with fewer than 10 paragnaths..... Perinereis variodentata (Augener, 1913) *
- Area I with fewer than 4 paragnaths. Area III with more than 10 paragnaths..................................... 66
66 Dorsal notopodial ligules reduced in posterior chaetigers....................... Perinereis aibuhitensis (Grube, 1878)
- Dorsal notopodial ligules not reduced in posterior chaetigers................................................. 67
67 Area IV with fewer than 37 paragnaths. Areas VII‒VIII with 2 rows of fewer than 57 paragnaths.......................................................................................... Perinereis singaporiensis (Grube, 1878)
- Area IV with more than 39 paragnaths. Areas VII‒VIII with 2-5 rows of more than 57 paragnaths............................................................................................ Perinereis vancaurica (Ehlers, 1868)
68 Area IV with smooth bars in addition to cones............................................................. 69
- Area IV with cones only; smooth bars absent.............................................................. 71
69 Areas VII‒VIII with a band of minute paragnaths in addition to a band of large paragnaths anteriorly...................................................................................... Perinereis akuna Wilson & Glasby, 1993
- Areas VII‒VIII with a band of large paragnaths only........................................................ 70
70 Area II with fewer than 5 paragnaths.............................. Perinereis broomensis Hartmann-Schröder, 1979
- Area II with more than 5 paragnaths............................................ Perinereis vallata (Grube, 1857)
71 Area II without paragnaths............................................... Perinereis caeruleis (Hoagland, 1920)
- Area II with paragnaths............................................................................... 72
72 Area III with fewer than 4 paragnaths. Area VI with cones in addition to smooth bars. Areas VII-VIII with more than 2 rows of paragnaths.............................................................. Perinereis brevicirris (Grube, 1866)
- Area III with more than 7 paragnaths. Area VI without cones. Areas VII‒VIII with 2 rows of paragnaths......................................................................................... Perinereis nuntia (Lamarck, 1818)
73 Notopodial homogomph falcigers present in posterior chaetigers................. Pseudonereis anomala Gravier, 1899 *
- Notopodial homogomph falcigers absent................................................................. 74
74 Area VI with cones................................................ Pseudonereis rottnestiana (Augener, 1913) *
- Area VI with shield-shaped bars.......................................... Pseudonereis trimaculata (Horst, 1924)
*These species were found in the present study.
+ Neanthes semperiana (Grube, 1878) was originally described as Nereis (Lycoris) semperiana with no information on composition of notochaetae and neurochaetae (Grube 1878). Augener (1922a) stated that Nereis semperiana from the Kimberley coasts, North-West Australia has homogomph spinigers in the notopodia, homogomph spinigers and heterogomph in the dorsal fascicles of neuropodia, and heterogomph spinigers and falcigers in the ventral fascicles of neuropodia. Notopodial falcigers are absent in this description [Ich habe in zwei Präparaten hinterer Ruder am Dorsalast keine Sichelborsten gefunden, solche fehlen daher mit Bestimmtheit] (Augener 1922a), thus we moved this species to Neanthes .