Review of some species referred to Scalisetosus McIntosh (Polychaeta, Polynoidae)

In connection with an extended review of the polynoid genera, based on a study of the type-species, it was foimd that Scalisetosus Mclntosh ( 1885) has been used for a heterogenous group of species. The genus has served to include species with setae as transparent as crystal and the neurosetae characterized by the presence of a basal semilunar cusp or pocket, although this particular feature was not shown on the figure of the neiu-osetae of the type-species, S. ceramensis, by Mclntosh (1885, pi. lOA, fig. 14). Any species equipped with this peculiar type of neiu-osetae has been placed in Scalisetosus, regardless of other characters. Saint-Joseph (1899) proposed the new genus Adyte for three species {Polynoe pellucida Ehlers, Hermadion assimile Mclntosh, and H. echini Giard) having the peculiar type of neurosetae, separating them from S. ceramensis, which lacks the basal semilunar cusps. Mclntosh (1900) was responsible for changing the diagnosis of Scalisetosus to include the species referred to Adyte by SaintJoseph, Subsequently, Adyte was abandoned and was synonymized with Scalisetosus by Fauvel (1914, p. 47). During a visit to the British Museum of Natural History in May 1967, I was able to examine the unique type of Scalisetosus ceramensis and to verify that the neurosetae indeed do lack the basal semilunar cusps and that the species therefore lacks one of the key characters that has been attributed to the genus. The purpose of this paper is to report on the re-examinatíon of the holotype of S. ceramensis, as well as some of tiie