Autolytus bicolor Rullier, 1972

Nygren, Arne, 2004, Revision of Autolytinae (Syllidae: Polychaeta)., Zootaxa 680, pp. 1-314 : 182-183

Autolytus bicolor Rullier, 1972 (Fig. 93A–B)

Autolytus bicolor Rullier, 1972: 70 –72, fig. 11A–D.

Material examined. New Caledonia: holotype UCO ZA y16, Baie de Saint­Vincent, Petit Ténia, Ile Ronhua, 16 Nov 1961.

Description. Holotype complete, on slide, in poor condition; length 5.3 mm for 47 chaetigers, width 0.25 mm. Black colour markings (Fig. 93A) on chaetiger 1–3, 8, 13–14, 16, 21–22, 28, 33, 37, 41, 45 and pygidium. Body long and slender, body width fairly constant with tapering end. Absence/presence of ciliation not possible to assess.

Prostomium not evaluated. Four eyes, with lenses, in trapezoid arrangement, anterior pair larger. Eyes separated; absence/presence of eye spots not possible to determine. Palps not possible to separate from prostomium. Extension of nuchal epaulettes to end of chaetiger 3 (Fig. 93A).

Anterior appendages curled, not evaluated. Few cirri seen, equal in size, in length c. 1/6–1/7 of body width. Alternation in direction of cirri not assessed. Cirrophores on tentacular cirri and first dorsal cirri not possible to evaluate. Cirrophores on dorsal cirri absent.

Parapodial lobes small. Anterior chaetigers with 2 aciculae, 1 in median and posterior. Chaetal fascicle with 6 compounds in anterior chaetigers, 4 in posterior. Compound chaetae with rather large distal tooth, smaller than subdistal tooth (Fig. 93B); bayonet chaetae not observed.

Pharynx and trepan not possible to assess. Proventricle equal in length to 1–1.5 segments in chaetiger 8–9, with c. 21 rows of square shaped muscle cells. Anal cirri lost.

Reproduction. Unknown

Habitat. Unknown.

Distribution. South West Pacific. New Caledonia. Only known from type locality.

Remarks. From what is possible to determine, such as general body shape, size of parapodial lobes, and absence of dorsal cirrophores, Autolytus bicolor may belong within Procerini . However, many of the characters are unknown which make a "generic" allocation difficult. The only other Procerini with nuchal epaulettes reaching end of chaetiger 3 is Paraproceraea tamana , but P. t a m a n a is orange, and lacks the black colour markings of A. bicolor . Autolytus bicolor is currently insufficiently known, and is referred to as Autolytinae incertae sedis .