Gunnarea, JOHANSSON, 1927

Capa, María, Hutchings, Pat & Peart, Rachael, 2012, Systematic revision of Sabellariidae (Polychaeta) and their relationships with other polychaetes using morphological and DNA sequence data, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 164 (2), pp. 245-284 : 259-261

GUNNAREA JOHANSSON, 1927

Gunnarea Johansson, 1927: 99 ; Kirtley, 1994: 41–42.

Type species: Hermella gaimardi ( Quatrefages, 1848) . From Table Bay , Cape Town, South Africa .

Diagnosis: Gunnarea is characterized by three homoplastic features: the presence of partially divided opercular lobes, very short palps, and absence of nuchal spines. An autapomorphy of this species is the presence of a broad lateral lobe on segment 2, with crenulated margins giving the appearance of being subdivided.

Description: Operculum with lobes partially fused (with deep indentation in ventral margin) and distal disc perpendicular to longitudinal axis. Numerous small and rounded opercular papillae on its perimeter. Outer paleae arranged in semicircles; geniculate, with flat blades, smooth lateral margins, and distal tooth. Inner paleae arranged in semicircles, as a single row, strongly geniculate, with flat blades. Nuchal spines absent. Palps shorter than half of the operculum. Tentacular filaments compound. Buccal flaps absent. Conspicuous median organ absent. Neuropodia of segment 1 with one cirrus on each side of building organ and capillary neurochaetae. Two triangular lobes between noto- and neuropodia of segment 2, ventral one subdivided or with crenulated margins. Thoracic branchiae present. Three parathoracic segments. Parathoracic notochaetae lanceolate and capillaries alternating; neurochaetae similar but smaller. Abdominal branchiae present on most abdominal segments.

Remarks: Gunnarea shares some characteristics with Paraidanthyrsus , Neosabellaria , Sabellaria , and Phragmatopoma as they all have three parathoracic segments, branching tentacular filaments, outer paleae with distal denticles and innermost row of paleae geniculate. Moreover, Gunnarea is recovered as sister to Paraidanthyrsus , supported by the absence of a conspicuous median organ, a feature that has not been checked in Paraidanthyrsus for the present study. Gunnarea is monospecific.