Paraleocrates n. gen.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 6B2BD422-D82C-4FC3-906F-362A99856461

Type species. Leocrates wesenberglundae Pettibone, 1970.

Diagnosis. Hesioninae with two lateral antennae, and one median antenna on dorsal prostomial surface. Palps biarticulate, palpophores large, massive, palpostyles smaller, blunt. Eyes dark, black or brown, anterior ones larger than posterior ones, distant to each other in lateral view. Nuchal organs lobes horizontal C-shaped, posterior ciliated bands close to each other. Pharynx with single, fang-shaped upper and lower jaws. Parapodia sesquiramous along a few anterior chaetigers, biramous thereafter. Notochaetae from chaetiger 4, smooth, delicate, sometimes abundant, size variable, never as long as to reach neurochaetal tips. Neurochaetae compound falcigers, blades unidentate, guards, if present, aristate, surpassing distal tooth.

Etymology. The genus-group name is derived from Leocrates, by adding the Greek prefix para- to indicate its close similarity to the stem genus-group name.

Gender. Masculine, as in the stem genus-group name.

Remarks. Paraleocrates n. gen. resembles Leocrates Kinberg, 1866 by having C-shaped nuchal organs lobes, and single, fang-shaped upper and lower jaws in their pharynx. They differ in three features: the start of notochaetae, the surface of notochaetae, and the type of neurochaetal blades. In Paraleocrates notochaetae start in chaetiger 4, their surface is smooth, and neurochaetal blades are unidentate, sometimes with guards surpassing the denticle, whereas in Leocrates notochaetae start from chaetiger 5, they are subdistally spinulose, and neurochaetal blades are bidentate. There are only two species in this genus that can be separated with the key below.