Sthenolepis Willey, 1905

Cruz-Gómez, Christopher & Blake, James A., 2024, Description of new species of deep water Sthenolepis Willey, 1905 and Neoleanira Pettibone, 1970 (Annelida, Sigalionidae) from off Northern California, with the redescription of Sthenolepis spargens Fauchald, 1972, Zootaxa 5507 (2), pp. 224-244 : 226

Genus Sthenolepis Willey, 1905

Type species. Leanira Japonica McIntosh, 1885 , by monotypy.

Diagnosis. (modified after Aungtonya 2002; Eibye-Jacobsen et al. 2022). Sigalioninae with prostomium rounded. Median antenna with long style; median antennal ceratophore with a pair of auricles; lateral antennae short, fused to the inner side of segment 1. With facial tubercle. Segment 1 with dorsal ctenidial pads and inner tentacular lobes. Segment 3 without dorsal cirri, but dorsal tubercles. Lateral lips of mouth aperture without labial lobes. Elytra colorless, smooth, or with tubercles and papillae. Neuropodia in median and posterior segments with three neuropodial lobes, one prechaetal and two postchaetal. Neurochaetae only compound spinigers, with canaliculate blades, non-canaliculate blades may be present in lower position, simple spinose capillaries may be present in upper position.

Remarks. Pettibone (1970b) proposed two sigalionid genera using specimens of Leanira , Neoleanira , mostly from deep water, and Horstileanira , mostly from shallow water. The name Horstileanira indicates morphological closeness with Leanira : however, Sthenolepis seems to be the genus that Hortsileanira resembles the most. The latter was noted by Aungtonya (2002), who suggested that both genera need further study to understand the morphology of each properly. Furthermore, some former members of Sthenolepis , with unclear generic and specific status such as Leanira izuensis Takahashi, 1938 and L. vulturis Horst, 1917 , possess a morphology that could agree with Sthenolepis , but also other known genera (see Table 1 ). Solving these issues is beyond the scope of this research.