Terebellidae Johnston, 1846

Lavesque, Nicolas, Daffe, Guillemine, Londoño-Mesa, Mario H. & Hutchings, Pat, 2021, Revision of the French Terebellidae sensu stricto (Annelida, Terebelliformia), with descriptions of nine new species, Zootaxa 5038 (1), pp. 1-63 : 11

Family Terebellidae Johnston, 1846 sensu stricto

Genus Amphitrite O.F. Müller, 1771

Type species: Amphitrite cirrata O. F. Müller, 1776 , by subsequent designation

Diagnosis (after Hutchings et al. 2021b).

Transverse prostomium attached to dorsal surface of upper lip; basal part as a thick crest, eyespots may be present; distal part shelf-like. Buccal tentacles all usually uniformly cylindrical. Peristomium forming lips and continuing dorsally for a short extension, not forming a complete ring; lips expanded, with relatively short upper lip, hood-like, about as long as wide, and with distal margin rounded and slightly undulated; lower lip narrow, rectangular, mid-ventral. Segment I conspicuous all around, dorsally narrow, ventrally developed, with mid-ventral lobe marginal to mouth. Lobes on anterior segments present, of variable length, usually on SG II–IV. Anterior segments highly glandular ventrally, with discrete, smooth to slightly corrugated, rectangular to trapezoidal shields. Two to three pairs of branchiae, usually 3, on SG II–III or SG II–IV; unbranched branchial filaments originating all together from a single point on the body wall, on either side of the branchiferous segments, or originating from a conspicuous main stem, and branching from one to several levels, in dichotomous or arborescent arrangements. Rectangular to conical notopodia beginning on SG IV, extending for 17 segments in most species, until SG XX, or with notopodia extending more posteriorly, sometimes for around 40 segments; notochaetae all broadly-winged medially and finely serrated distally. Neuropodia beginning on SG V, as low, sessile ridges in conjunction with notopodia anteriorly and as short pinnules posteriorly; neurochaetae as short-handled avicular uncini, in partially intercalated double rows, in a face-to-face arrangement, with prows aligned, from SG XI until end of notopodia. Nephridial papillae on SG III, genital papillae on some anterior segments, beginning from SG VI, between parapodial lobes.

Remarks. Neoamphitrite Hessle, 1917 and Amphitrite have long been considered as two different genera (see references in Jirkov 2020), based on the shape of branchiae (filiform arising directly from body wall in Amphitrite , arborescent in Neoamphitrite ). However, Jirkov (2020) and Hutchings et al. (2021b) suggested that Neoamphitrite should be synonymized with Amphitrite , a synonymy previously suggested by Fauvel (1927) and Hutchings & Glasby (1988), with presence or absence of branching branchiae not being considered a valid generic character. Of the 22 species presently listed in the Amphitrite , only three show filiform branchiae ( Jirkov 2020).