''Polyeunoa'' is a genus of marine annelids in the family

Polynoidae Polynoidae is a family of marine Polychaete worms known as "scale worms" due to the scale-like elytra on the dorsal surface. Almost 900 species are currently recognised belonging to 9 subfamilies and 167 genera. They are active hunters, but gene ...

(scale worms). The genus contains two species, one from the Indian Ocean and the other widespread in the south-west Atlantic ocean and the Southern Ocean.

Description

Species of ''Polyeunoa'' are long-bodied with 70 or more segments and at least 15 pairs of elytra. The elytra leave part of the mid-dorsal body and most posterior segments uncovered. Cephalic peaks are absent or very small on the

prostomium The prostomium (From Ancient Greek, meaning "before the mouth"; plural: prostomia; sometimes also called the "acron") is the cephalized first body segment in an annelid worm's body at the anterior end. It is in front of (but does not include) th ...

and the lateral antennae are inserted beneath the median antenna. The

notochaetae A chaeta or cheta (from Greek χαίτη “crest, mane, flowing hair"; plural: chaetae) is a chitinous bristle or seta found in annelid worms, (although the term is also frequently used to describe similar structures in other invertebrates such ...

are few and about as thick as the

neurochaetae A chaeta or cheta (from Greek χαίτη “crest, mane, flowing hair"; plural: chaetae) is a chitinous bristle or seta found in annelid worms, (although the term is also frequently used to describe similar structures in other invertebrates such ...

, which are numerous. Both unidentate and bidentate forms of chaetae are present.McIntosh, William C. s M'Intosh (1885). Report on the Annelida Polychaeta collected by H.M.S. Challenger during the years 1873-1876. Report on the Scientific Results of the Voyage of H.M.S. Challenger during the years 1873–76. Zoology. 12 (part 34): i-xxxvi, 1-554, pl. 1-55, 1A-39A, & Annelida stations map., available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/50688426Barnich R, Gambi C, Fiege D (2012) Revision of the genus Polyeunoa McIntosh, 1885 (Polychaeta, Polynoidae). Zootaxa 3523: 25–38. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3523.1.3

Species

The following species of ''Polyeunoa'' are recognised as of September 2020: *'' Polyeunoa laevis'' McIntosh, 1885 *'' Polyeunoa maculata'' (Day, 1973)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3918054 Phyllodocida