Leptonereislaevis Kinberg, 1865.

https://www.marinespecies.org/polychaeta/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=152401.

Hartman 1945; Pettibone 1971.

Dorsal cirrus terminally attached to dorsal notopodial ligule on posterior chaetigers; maxillary ring paragnaths absent (minimal diagnosis). Dorsal notopodial ligule markedly broader on posterior chaetigers; prostomium anterior margin entire; maxillary ring of pharynx with P-bar paragnaths absent (secondary diagnosis).

Palpophore barrel-shaped, approximately equal width from base to palpostyle (not overly large compared with palpostyle).

Maxillary ring of pharynx with papillae absent. Maxillary ring paragnaths absent. Oral ring papillae absent. Oral ring paragnaths absent.

Dorsal notopodial ligule present; markedly elongate on posterior chaetigers; markedly broader on posterior chaetigers; not markedly reduced on posterior chaetigers. Dorsal cirrus not sub-terminally attached to dorsal notopodial ligule on posterior chaetigers; terminally attached to dorsal notopodial ligule on posterior chaetigers; not terminally attached throughout all chaetigers.

Neuropodial postchaetal lobe absent. Ventral neuropodial ligule of anterior chaetigers present. Ventral neuropodial ligule of anterior chaetigers approx. as long as acicular neuropodial ligule. Ventral neuropodial ligule on posterior chaetigers present. Ventral neuropodial ligule on posterior chaetigers similar to length of acicular neuropodial ligule.

Notochaetae: homogomph spinigers present. Neurochaetae homogomph and heterogomph spinigers and heterogomph falcigers, but their distribution in dorsal and ventral fascicles is unknown.

The description of Leptonereis given here follows the most recent treatment (Pettibone 1971) which in turn was based on new descriptions and figures of the type by Kinberg (1910) and Hartman (1945). However, many characters including articulation of the chaetae remain unverified.

Leptonereis includes a single species, L.laevis Kinberg, 1865, based on a single specimen from Guayaquil, Ecuador and now recorded from tropical east Pacific coasts of North and South America.