Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 August 2003
A new genus of terebellid polychaetes is described, from material collected from living colonies of a stony coral (Mussismilia hispida) in the State of São Paulo, south-eastern Brazil. Articulatia is characterized by possessing notopodia from segment 5, neuropodia from segment 5 or 6 with double rows of uncini from segment 7 until near pygidium. Up to segment ten, notopodia with bilimbate capillaries; from segment 11 onwards two types of notochaetae are present, articulated chaetae, due to a deep cut at the sulcus of the third tooth, as well as capillary chaetae, both types with serrated blades. The presence of deep-cut chaetae is unique among all previously described terebellomorph polychaetes. This new genus is compared with other terebelline genera, and the phylogenetic analysis previously performed for the group is rerun, in order to determine the position of Articulatia within the subfamily. The type species of the new genus, A. aberrans, is also new to science and herein described.