Scyphoproctus Gravier, 1904

Magalhães, Wagner F. & Bailey-Brock, Julie H., 2012, Capitellidae Grube, 1862 (Annelida: Polychaeta) from the Hawaiian Islands with description of two new species, Zootaxa 3581, pp. 1-52 : 42

Genus Scyphoproctus Gravier, 1904

Pulliella Fauvel, 1929 . Type-species: Pulliella armata Fauvel, 1929 . syn. nov.

Type species: Scyphoproctus djiboutiensis Gravier, 1904 .

Diagnosis (emended after Green 2002). Thorax with 11 –16 segments, including two achaetous segments (an achaetous peristomium and a following achaetous segment with lateral organs) and 9 –14 chaetigers with capillary chaetae. The last thoracic chaetiger may have capillary notochaetae and hooded neurohooks or capillary chaetae only in both rami. Abdomen with hooded hooks throughout or with one or more pre-anal segments with acicular spines in the notopodia. Pygidium expanded as a poorly or well developed anal plaque with a pair of ventral digitiform cirri. Anal plaque with embedded or protruding acicular spines.

Remarks. The genus Pulliella was erected as a ʺconnecting link between Scyphoproctus and the other capitellidsʺ but it is within the range of Scyphoproctus characteristics and considered herein as a synonym of the latter. Both genera have a similar range of thoracic chaetigers and posterior end with anal spines, unique in capitellids. The single distinct characteristic present only in S. armata comb. nov., and S. edmondsoni sp. nov., is the incompletely developed anal plaque. The development of the anal plaque is of itself unique whether complete or incomplete and the development of this structure and numbers of anal spines should be considered species-level characters (Blake, pers. comm.). Type material of S. pseudoarmata comb. nov. should be revised as drawings in the original description ( Silva 1965: fig. 11b, c) indicate a developed anal plate.