Sphaerodoropsis Hartman and Fauchald, 1971
Sphaerodoropsis cf. macrotubercula Böggemann, 2009
Voucher. INFLEXIBLE: station 5MFB.
Diagnosis. Small-sized species; voucher specimen short and maggot-like, tapering anteriorly and posteriorly; 1.3mm long and 0.4mm wide for 13 chaetigers. Prostomium without elongated papillae.
Six to seven sessile and distally rounded ,enlarged globular macrotubercles in each of the two transverse rows per chaetiger; macrotubercles tightly packed in a zig-zag pattern on dorsum.
Venter with a few scattered small papillae and with one large rounded papilla on each side between chaetigers 5 and 6.
Ventral cirri about as long as postchaetal lobes; parapodia without papillae; chaetae compound, unidentate. Pygidium with medioventral anal papilla about as long as lateral cirri.
Remarks. Falkland Island specimens strongly resemble Sphaerodoropsis macrotubercula Böggemann, 2009 described from Angola Basin, 5493m. Currently there are no obvious morphological characters that could distinguish between two morphotypes, with the biggest difference being their bathymetrical distribution. We are unable to currently resolve if these represent the same species without the help of molecular data.
