Aurospio Maciolek, 1981

Prostomium blunt, anteriorly truncate or rounded, anterior margin with entire anterior margin. Lateral horns absent. Caruncle present. Occipital antenna absent. Nuchal organ short, at most one segment long. Eyes present, or absent; 0–4 eyes. Palps simple, lacking basal sheath. Dorsal ridge connecting bases of branchiae on chaetiger 1 absent. Prominent dorsal collar on setiger 2 absent. Dorsal branchiae present, first present on chaetiger 3. Dorsal branchiae absent from many median and posterior chaetigers, last present on chaetiger 4. Dorsal branchiae continuous. Dorsal branchiae partially or wholly fused with notopodial lamellae (on some or all chaetigers), all simple. First branchiae without process at base on anterior face. Accessory branchiae arising from posterior part of notopodium absent. Ventral branchiae absent. Chaetiger 3 without filament at base of branchiae. Dorsal crests absent. Ventral crests absent. Chaetiger 1 notopodium present. Chaetiger 1 notochaetae 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, multiple accessory teeth (more than 3), secondary tooth closely applied to the main fang, about 45º. 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. Pygidium with 1 long medial cirrus and 2 short lateral cirri.

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:
Maciolek, NJ. 1981. A new genus and species of Spionidae (Annelida: Polychaeta) from the north and south Atlantic. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 94, 228-239.