Grube, 1850
Description:
Medium large, active worms with smooth, pearly, whitish dorsal and ventral surfaces. Well-bristled yellowish parapodia are set very laterally increasing their flattened appearance. The swimming is characteristic, with rapid lateral wriggling starting from the rear and increasing in amplitude towards the head.
Prostomium with one pair of very small tapering lateral antennae and one pair of similar palps, which are inserted at the anterior corners.
Peristomium limited to lips.
First segment smaller than next with small biramous parapodia and two pairs of tentacular cirri.
Parapodia are biramous, fairly large and flattened, with dorsal and ventral cirri; the dorsal cirrus is usually vestigial, the ventral cirrus small. On all but the first few segments, there is a reddish sickle-shaped interramal gill attached to the ventral face of the notopodia.
All chaetae variously ornamented capillaries.
Pygidium with one long median cirrus.
There is a large eversible proboscis with terminal papillae and rows and buccal papillae (Nephtyidae).
After: Fauchald and Rouse, 1997 and Hayward and Ryland, 1990.
For identification to species level, jump to the Picture key: Page 88: Nephtyidae
The following taxa of this family occur in the region:
Genus Aglaophamus
Genus Nephtys
Aglaophamus malmgreni
Aglaophamus rubella
Nephtys assimilis
Nephtys caeca
Nephtys ciliata
Nephtys cirrosa
Nephtys hombergii
Nephtys hystricis
Nephtys incisa
Nephtys kersivalensis
Nephtys longosetosa
Nephtys paradoxa
Nephtys pente
Nephtys pulchra