Prostomium blunt, anteriorly truncate or rounded, anterior margin with entire anterior margin. Lateral horns absent. Caruncle present, continuing back to chaetiger 1. Occipital antenna absent. Nuchal organ short, at most one segment long. Palps with basal sheath. Dorsal ridge connecting bases of branchiae on chaetiger 1 present. Prominent dorsal collar on setiger 2 absent. Dorsal branchiae present, first present on chaetiger 1. Dorsal branchiae absent from many median and posterior chaetigers, last present on chaetiger 3. Dorsal branchiae continuous. Dorsal branchiae free and separate from notopodial lamellae throughout, modified on some or all chaetigers, typically pinnate or flabellate. Modified dorsal branchiae with flabellate lamellae. First branchiae without process at base on anterior face. Accessory branchiae arising from posterior part of notopodium absent. Ventral branchiae absent. Chaetiger 3 with filament at base of branchiae. Dorsal crests absent. Ventral crests absent. Chaetiger 1 notopodium present. Neuropodial lobe of chaetiger 2 rounded, approximately symmetrical. Neuropodial lobes of posterior chaetigers a single lobe. Interparapodial pouches absent. Chaetigers 2–4 similar, not strongly differentiated. Chaetiger 5 unmodified, similar to subsequent chaetigers. Posterior modified notochaetae absent. Notopodial hooded hooks present. Neurochaetae of chaetiger 1 simple capillaries similar to those of subsequent chaetigers. Neuropodial hooded hooks present. Neuropodial hooded hooks with accessory tooth or teeth above the main fang. Shaft of neuropodial hooded hooks of constant thickness, lacking a constriction. Neuropodial sabre chaetae present, in ventral-most positions. Neuropodial spines absent. Embedded bunches of notopodial needle chaetae absent.
Description generated from: Wilson, RS & McDiarmid, H 2013. Spionidae (Polychaeta)- A DELTA database of genera, and Australian species. Version 2; originally published as In RS Wilson, PA Hutchings & CJ Glasby (eds) Polychaetes: An Interactive Identification Guide. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.
Additional references:
Yokoyama, H. 2007. Revision of the genus Paraprionospio Caullery (Polychaeta: Spionidae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society of London 151, 253-284.
