Eulalia clavigera (Audouin & Milne-Edwards, 1833)

Teixeira, Marcos A. L., Vieira, Pedro E., Fenwick, David, Langeneck, Joachim, Pleijel, Fredrik, Sampieri, Bruno R., Hernández, José Carlos, Ravara, Ascensão, Costa, Filipe O. & Nygren, Arne, 2023, Revealing the diversity of the green Eulalia (Annelida, Phyllodocidae) species complex along the European coast, with description of three new species, Organisms Diversity & Evolution (New York, N. Y.) 23 (3), pp. 477-503 : 487

Eulalia clavigera / viridis species complex.

Diagnosis

Body anteriorly stout and posteriorly tapered, variable in size (length, width, and number of segments). Living specimens may be yellow, but usually green including the pharynx, varying in intensity; once preserved, the pigment fades off into a greenish hue and turning to brownish when aging. Darker, glandular spots usually present laterally from prostomium, in dorsal cirri, along posterior segmental margins but missing in mid-dorsal regions and basally in parapodia. Prostomium rounded triangular, wider than long. Eyes medium-large, rounded, occasionally partly covered by segment 1. Distance between eyes (from center of eyespots) either shorter or as long as head length. Median antenna well in front of eyes, as long as apical ones. Palps as long or slightly longer than antennae. Proboscis widest distally, densely covered with rounded to conical papillae. Terminal ring with varying number of papillae. Longest tentacular cirri may be shorter or slightly longer than body width from median segments. Tentacular cirri of segment 1 reaching about segments 3–5, half as long as dorsal tentacular cirri of segment 2. Dorsal tentacular cirri of segment 2 reaching about segments 6-9, almost two times as long as ventral tentacular cirri (reaching about segments 3-6, often thick and slightly flattened). Dorsal tentacular cirri of segment 3 reaching about segments 6-9, as long as dorsal tentacular cirri of segment 2. Dorsal cirri of median segments asymmetrically lanceolate, about twice as long than wide. Dorsal cirri 2-3 times longer than ventral cirri in median segments. Ventral cirri rounded longer than wide, either smaller or slightly longer than chaetigerous lobes in median segments. Chaetae usually from segment 3, occasionally 1-2 chaetae arising from anterior side of ventral cirrophores of segment 2. Rostrum of chaetal shaft with one large tooth and numerous smaller ones either side, decreasing in size proximally. Blades short. Two pygidial cirri about three times as long as wide, with pointed tips. Median pygidial papilla absent.