Prionospio Malmgren, 1867

Prostomium blunt, anteriorly truncate or rounded, anterior margin with entire anterior margin or bifid, with anterior margin indented. Lateral horns absent. Caruncle present. Occipital antenna absent. Nuchal organ short, at most one segment long. Eyes present, or absent. 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 2–3 (rarely from chaetiger 3). Dorsal branchiae absent from many median and posterior chaetigers. Dorsal branchiae continuous. Dorsal branchiae free and separate from notopodial lamellae throughout. 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 present, or absent. Ventral crests absent. Chaetiger 1 notopodium present. Chaetiger 1 notochaetae present, or absent. 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, 1 accessory tooth (bidentate) or 2 accessory teeth (tridentate) or 3 accessory teeth (quadridentate) or multiple accessory teeth (more than 3). Shaft of neuropodial hooded hooks of constant thickness, lacking a constriction. Neuropodial sabre chaetae present, in ventral-most positions or absent (present in all Australian spp.). 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:
Blake, JA and Kudenov, JD. 1978. The Spionidae (Polychaeta) from southeastern Australia and adjacent areas with a revision of the genera. Memoirs of the National Museum of Victoria 39, 171-280.
Wilson, RS. 1990. Prionospio and Paraprionospio (Polychaeta: Spionidae) from southern Australia. Memoirs of the Museum of Victoria 50, 243-274.