Table 2.
Comparison of selected morphological characters among all known species of Macellicephaloides
| Type locality | Type depth (m) | No. of specimens examined | No. of segments | Integument | Development of notopodium (see Fig. 7) | Cirrophore of dorsal cirrus (see Fig. 7) | Neurochaetae | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macellicephaloides alvini Pettibone, 1989a, b | Gulf of California, Eastern Pacific | 2004 | 1 | 17 | smooth | ~ 1/2 the length of neuropodium | quite robust, cylindrical, slightly shorter then neuropodium | slender, with two rows of delicate spines |
| Macellicephaloides grandicirra Uschakov, 1955 | Kuril-Kamchatka Trench, NW Pacific | 8100–9950 | 43 | 17 | smooth | the same length as notopodium | extremely thin and long, 3–5 × the length of neuropodium | slender, with two rows of spines |
| Macellicephaloides improvisa Levenstein, 1982 | Kuril-Kamchatka Trench, NW Pacific | ? | 1 | 18 | smooth | very reduced, much shorter than neuropodium | very short | unknown |
| Macellicephaloides moustachu Bonifácio & Menot, 2018 | CCZ, eastern Pacific | 4398 | 10 | 14–16 (11 in juvenile) | smooth | very reduced, much shorter than neuropodium | large, cylindrical, elongate, with pointed projection | slender, distally with spines along both margins, with pointed tips [forked spines imaged but not described in Bonifacio and Menot (2019)] |
| Macellicephaloides sandvichensis Levenstein, 1975 | South Sandwich Trench, South Atlantic | 7200–7934 | ? | 17 | smooth | small, much shorter than neuropodium | very slender, about the length of neuropodium | slender, with two rows of spines, distally with slender tooth (hook) |
| Macellicephaloides uschakovi Levenstein, 1971 | Kuril-Kamchatka Trench, NW Pacific | 8120 | 16 | 20–21 | smooth | the same length as notopodium | somewhat thickened, ~ 1/2 length of neuropodia | with two rows of distinct spines, distally gently curved |
| Macellicephaloides verrucosa Uschakov, 1955 | Kuril-Kamchatka Trench, NW Pacific | 7210–7230 | 3 | 16 | smooth | slightly longer then neuropodium | thick, slightly shorter then neuropodium | slender, with two rows of delicate spines |
| Macellicephaloides villosa Levenstein, 1982 | Japan Trench, NW Pacific | 7370–7380 | 1 | 21 | papillated—dorsum, parapodia | very long, longer then neuropodium | slender, elongated, slightly short then neuropodium, papillated | slender, distally with spines along both margins; spines forked with multiple teeth |
| Macellicephaloides vitiazi Uschakov, 1955 | Kuril-Kamchatka Trench, NW Pacific | 7210–8430 | 2 | 16 | smooth | variable along the length of the body, extremely short in the anterior in mid segments, very long in the posterior segments | very slender, about the length of neuropodium | slender, with two rows of delicate spines |
| Macellicephaloides veronikae n. sp. | Amundsen Sea, Southern Ocean | ~ 500–1000 | 27 (15*) | 16–19 | papillated—ventrum, parapodia | very reduced, much shorter than neuropodium | massive, somewhat inflated cirrophores bearing papillae on the edges | slender, distally with spines along both margins; spines forked into ~ 4 unequal teeth |
*Specimens used in an unpublished stable isotope analysis study, now represented by DNA extractions only with the associated sequences published by Brasier et al. (2016)