Grube, 1848
Polychaetes characterized by parapodial reduction to biramous achaetous paddles with notopodia and neuropodia modified for swimming into membranous structures named pinnules. These structures may carry various types of glands including chromophils, hyalines, rosettes and spurs. Dales (1957) gives a good description of these organs. Prostomium with one pair of antennae and simple eyes. First two segments fused with the prostomium and carrying cirri supported by aciculae. Second segment with long cirriform appendages. Short and unarmed pharynx.
Very little information about the biology of the members of this family is available. In general, nothing is to be seen in the transparent gut. Uschakov (1972) believes that they are voracious predators. In addition to those listed in the key, the following species have been described recently from the Gulf of Guinea by Dr. Støp-Bowitz (1992): Tomopteris circulosa Støp-Bowitz, 1992, Tomopteris congolana Støp-Bowitz, 1992, ; Tomopteris gracilis Støp-Bowitz, 1992, Tomopteris guineensis Støp-Bowitz, 1992, Tomopteris lutea Støp-Bowitz, 1992, and
Tomopteris simplex Støp-Bowitz, 1992. Most of them from only one specimen. According to Day (1967), Tomopteris apsteini Rosa, 1908 is probably synonymous with Tomopteris nationalis Apstein, 1900. Tomopteris cavalli Rosa, 1907 was not considered valid by Tebble (1960). Day (1967) put Enapteris euchaeta within the genus Tomopteris on the basis of a careful description of the parapodia. Tomopteris onisciformis Eschscholtz, 1825, the type species of the genus, has been considered as indeterminable; it was reported by Støp-Bowitz (1992), but its characteristics are very similar to Tomopteris rolasi Greeff, 1882 (cf. Orensanz and Gianuca, 1974) in the same paper, and it is important to clarify if the latter is synonymous with the first.
Genus Tomopteris Eschscholtz, 1825
Tomopteris carpenteri
Tomopteris duccii
Tomopteris dunckeri
Tomopteris elegans
Tomopteris euchaeta
Tomopteris helgolandica
Tomopteris kefersteini
Tomopteris kempi
Tomopteris krampi
Tomopteris ligulata
Tomopteris nationalis
Tomopteris nisseni
Tomopteris planktonis
Tomopteris rolasi
Tomopteris septentrionalis