The Nereididae (Annelida) – diagnoses, descriptions, and a key to the genera

By

Wilson, R. S. (Robin S.)
Glasby, Christopher John
Bakken, Torkild, 1969-

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2023

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

1182

Pages

35--134

Subjects

Computer taxonomy , Diagnosis , identification tools , natural language descriptions , Polychaete , Taxonomic Information System , taxonomic verification

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1182.104258

 

Abstract

Nereididae is among the most familiar of marine annelid families, common and well-studied in most marine environments but paradoxically no recent key or identification guide exists to the world’s genera. Here updated generic descriptions, a list of characters, a linear key to genera, and minimal diagnoses that distinguish each genus from all others in the family are provided. This information is generated from a Delta database of 186 morphological characters and a link is provided to downloadable software allowing the same data to be interrogated using the open-source Delta program Intkey – a nonlinear multiple entry point computerised interactive key. For each genus the recent literature is also summarised, comments on taxonomic status provided, and published keys to species cited. Nexus format matrices are provided for all 45 genera and 158 Nereididae species, representing all genera, scored for 146 multistate characters from the same character list to facilitate future phylogenetic studies.