Kieffer, 1921
Body
Medium sized larvae up to 7 mm long. Living larvae red. Claws on the posterior parapods are simpel. No lateral and ventral tubules. (Wiederholm, 1983; Moller Pillot, 1984a).
Head
Antenna
The antenna consists of 5 segments. The blade is shorter than the flagellum. Lauterborn organs apparently absent.
Mentum
The mentum has two median tooth and 6 pairs of lateral teeth. The 5th or 6th lateral tooth strongly enlarged Cladop lateralis mentum. The ventromental plates are about 3/4 as wide as the mentum.
Labrum
SI is simpel and labral lamellae are absent. The pecten epipharyngis is a single plate. The premandible is bifid.
Mandible
The mandible without a dorsal tooth. The apical tooth with 2-3 indistinct inner teeth Cladop mandible no dorsal toot8. The pecten mandibularis is absent and seta interna with 4 plumose branches Cladop mandible with SI arrow 8.
Differential characteristics
The shape of the mentum with a stronger outer tooth and paired median tooth is distinctive Cladop lateralis mentum. The combination of a paired median mental tooth, 6 pairs of lateral teeth and a mandible without dorsal tooth, 2 inner teeth Cladop mandible no dorsal toot8 and no Lauterborn organs separates Cladopelma from all other genera.
Diversity
European species: 7
Treated taxa:
Species-group Cladopelma gr. lateralis
Species-group Cladopelma gr. viridula