Astreptosyllis Kudenov & Dorsey, 1982

San Martin, G & Hutchings, PA, 2006, Eusyllinae (Polychaeta: Syllidae) from Australia with the Description of a New Genus and Fifteen New Species, Records of the Australian Museum 58, pp. 257-370 : 268

Genus Astreptosyllis Kudenov & Dorsey, 1982

Astreptosyllis Kudenov & Dorsey, 1982: 575 .

Type species. Astreptosyllis acrassiseta Kudenov & Dorsey, 1982 , by original designation.

Diagnosis. Body of meiofaunal size. Prostomium with 2

pairs of eyes and 3 antennae. Palps fused basally, small but visible dorsally without median furrow. Nuchal organs as 2 ciliated grooves between prostomium and peristomium. Two pairs of tentacular cirri. Antennae, tentacular cirri and dorsal cirri of 2 anterior chaetigers unarticulated, club-shaped, slender basally and distally slightly inflated, longer than body width; from chaetiger 3 onwards, dorsal cirri articulated, articles elongated to pyriform, with dark, glandular inclusions. Parapodial lobes subrectangular on anterior parapodia, conical and elongated from midbody; ventral cirri short and broad on anterior parapodia, posteriorly becoming more elongated, digitiform. Compound chaetae heterogomph or hemigomph falcigers. Dorsal simple chaetae thick, provided with distal, longitudinally striated hood. Ventral simple chaetae sometimes present on far posterior parapodia, but usually lacking. Pharynx unarmed, with distal crown of soft papillae. Pygidium with 2 anal cirri.

Remarks. The genus is only known from Australia. Details on reproduction unknown, probably it reproduces as other similar genera by epigamy.

Key to Australian species of Astreptosyllis 1 Compound chaetae similar throughout ........................................................................ A. similiseta

—— Compound chaetae of chaetigers 1–6 enlarged, hemigomph, with short, thick blades ( Fig. 7E), different to compound chaetae of other parapodia ( Fig. 7G).......................................................................................... A. acrassiseta