Ophelina basicirra, Helgason, 2011

Helgason, Julio Parapar Juan Moreira Gudmundur V., 2011, Distribution and diversity of the Opheliidae (Annelida, Polychaeta) on the continental shelf and slope of Iceland, with a review of the genus Ophelina in northeast Atlantic waters and description of two new species, Organisms Diversity & Evolution (New York, N. Y.) 11 (2), pp. 83-105 : 98

Key to the species of the genus Ophelina in the NE Atlantic

The main taxonomic characters used to discriminate species in the genus Ophelina include presence/absence and arrangement of branchiae, and the shapes of the anal tube and anal cirrus. The examination of a large number of specimens collected during the BIOICE expeditions suggests, however, that characters concerning the anal tube and anal cirrus should be used with caution when discriminating species. These structures are highly deciduous in many species (e.g. O. abranchiata , O. cylindricaudata and O. basicirra sp. nov.); therefore, their absence in a particular specimen does not mean that they are actually absent in the species.

The key provided here contains the European species of Ophelina traditionally considered as valid ( Bellan 2001; Hansson 1998), including those which we have examined directly from BIOICE material or specimens deposited in museums, and those for which only the original descriptions have been checked. A complete revision of all European species based on direct examination of (ideally name-bearing type) specimens remains desirable and the prerequisite to learning the true diversity in the genus.

1. Branchiae absent................................... O. abranchiata