Material collected by the BIOFAR and BIOICE surveys off the Faroe Islands and Iceland contained three species of the polychaete family Fauveliopsidae, one of which represents a new genus. The family is newly reported from Iceland. The family definition is emended and two genera are recognized:
Fauveliopsis McIntosh, 1922, herein redefined and restricted, and
Laubieriopsis new genus.
Fauveliopsis has about 16 species, some of which are described but not named, several of which are incompletely known.
Laubieriopsis has four named (three currently accepted) species, one of which (
L. brevis (Hartman, 1965), new combination) appears to be a species complex.
F. cabiochi Amoureux, 1982 is redescribed and refigured from syntypes and BIOFAR and BIOICE material; a lectotype is designated and the species is transferred to
Laubieriopsis, new combination, type species by designation herein. A transverse, weltlike genital papilla is present on nearly all specimens at the posterior edge of chaetiger 8, just anterior to the right notochaetae of chaetiger 9. Bidentate chaetae are newly reported for the species and family. All known species of
Laubieriopsis are free living and have segment constancy. A key is given; the syntypes of
L. hartmanae (Levenstein, 1970), new combination, have been examined and some figures are provided. The status of the species, usually synonymized with
L. brevis, is still uncertain. The holotype of
Fauveliopsis challengeriae McIntosh, 1922, type species of the genus, is redescribed and figured, and the genus is redefined. A genital papilla is present on the posterior edge of chaetiger 11, just anterior to the right chaetae of chaetiger 12. Three transverse, beltlike cuticular thickenings are present ventrally at midlength. Some differences between the holotype and other material identified as
F. challengeriae are pointed out.
