Amphitritides Augener, 1922

Nogueira, João Miguel De Matos & Hutchings, Pat A., 2007, New species of terebellid polychaetes (Polychaeta: Terebellidae) from Australia, Zootaxa 1473, pp. 1-24 : 3

Amphitritides Augener, 1922

Type species: Terebella gracilis Grube, 1860 , designated by Hartman (1959).

Diagnosis. Prostomium in two parts, basal part with eyespots in some taxa, distal part forming conspicuous shelf-like process from which buccal tentacles originate. Peristomium forming lips and continuing laterally from mouth for short extension; upper lip short, hood-like, lower lip narrow. Segment 1 short, more developed ventrally, forming protruding ventral lobe below lower lip. Anterior segments dorsally inflated. Lateral lobes absent, anterior segments with thickened anterior margins, forming protruding crests laterally and ventrally. Anterior segments with smooth mid ventral shields, continuing posteriorly as mid ventral stripe extending from mid notochaetigerous segments to pygidium. Two pairs of dichotomously branching branchiae, on segments 2–3, each with short and thick main stem. Notopodia beginning on segment 4 and extending for variable number of segments. Notochaetae arranged in two oblique tiers, those on anterior tier shorter; notochaetae on both tiers usually medially limbate, with finely serrated tip. Neuropodia beginning on segment 5, as low rectangular ridges slightly raised from the surface of the body throughout, without internal supporting rods, close to mid ventral stripe from mid body. Uncini short handled, with conspicuous dorsal button, short triangular heel and prow usually distally pointed and downwardly directed; uncini in double rows, in beak to beak arrangement, from segment 11 until posterior body. Nephridial papillae on segments 3, inserted laterally to branchial stem, and from segment 6 onwards for variable number of segments.

Remarks. Amphitritides is close to Neoleprea Hessle, 1917 and Tyira Hutchings, 1997 , as the three genera have two pairs of small, dichotomously branching branchiae, much shorter than body width, neuropodia as low ridges along whole body, with uncini arranged in double rows from the 7th uncinigerous segment until posterior segments, where uncini are arranged in single rows again, except for A. pectinobranchiata Hartmann-Schröder, 1965 , whose assignment to Amphitritides is doubtful (see below). All these genera have similar morphology of notochaetae and uncini. These genera are distinguished from each other primarily by the segment on which notopodia begin, segment 2 in Tyira , segment 3 in Neoleprea and segment 4 in Amphitritides .