Hartmann-Schröder, 1971
Description:
Body relatively short resembling centipedes due to the long dorsal cirri. Prostomium is simple or bilobed with four eyes, two or three antennae and two palps.
Peristomium limited to lips.
First segment dorsally reduced. Up to eight pairs of tentacular cirri present on cephalized segments.
Parapodia biramous or subbiramous with the notopodium represented by a dorsal cirrus with internal acicula only. Dorsal cirri mostly long and annulated, ventral cirri shorter. Notopodial chaetae (if present) variously ornamented capillaries. Neuropodial chaetae compounds.
Pygidium with two cirri (Hesionidae).
The eversible proboscis with or without terminal papillae and with or without a pair of lateral jaws.
Fragile, active worms, some carnivorous, some commensal with burrowing worms, asteroids or shrimps.
After: Hayward and Ryland, 1990 and Kirkegaard, 1992.
For identification to species level, jump to the Picture key: Page 512: Hesioninae
The following taxa of this subfamily occur in the region:
Genus Gyptis
Genus Kefersteinia
Genus Nereimyra
Genus Ophiodromus
Genus Podarkeopsis
Genus Syllidia
Gyptis mackiei
Gyptis propinqua
Gyptis rosea
Kefersteinia cirrata
Nereimyra punctata
Ophiodromus flexuosus
Podarkeopsis helgolandica
Syllidia armata