POLYCH^ETA. BENHAM. 203 



The pharynx was attached to this mass by a long ligamen- 

 tous cord, formed apparently by the buccal cuticle drawn 

 out into a filament. 



Loc. Twenty miles east of Babel Island, Bass Strait, 65 

 fathoms. 



Distribution. JVTIntosh records it from " Station 168 (appa- 

 ently off Cape York, Australia, and probably in Endeavour 

 Strait)." 



Family NEPHTHYDID^E.i 



Genus NEPHTHYS, Cuvier. 



NEPHTHYS MACRURA, tichmarda. 



(Plate xl., fig. 57.) 



Nephthys macrura, Schmarda, Neue Wirbellose Thiere, i. 

 2, 1861, p. 1)1. Id., Ehlers, Neuseeland. Annelid., 

 1904, p. 14. 



Nephthys virigini, Kinberg, Annulata nova, 1865, p. 239. 



Nephthys trissophyllus, Grube, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. 

 Berlin, 1877, p. 533. Id., M'Intosh, Chall. Rep., 

 Zool., xii., 1885, p. 159. 



Ehlers has been able by comparison with the types of the 

 three authors to establish the synonymy as above. 



In spite of certain differences between the fragment 

 described below and the accounts of the authors above cited, 

 I identify it with this species, with which it agrees, hi the 

 characters of the foot especially, more closely than it does 

 with any other species in the literature available to me. 



A cephalic fragment containing 30 chaetigerous segments 

 measures 15 mm. in length by 2.75 mm. across the body and 

 3.5 mm. over the parapodia. 



The colour is a uniform pale pinkish brown. 



The prostomium, which is without eyes, is shield shaped, 

 truncated in front, pointed behind ; its length is to its 

 breadth rather more than as 3 : 2 (PL xl., fig. 57). On 

 each side near the hinder end is a rounded " nuchal organ." 

 The anterior angles are produced into a pair of short tri- 

 angular tentacles, and from the under surface two others 

 arise of slightly greater size, directed outwards. 



1. As the word " Nephthyidae," sometimes used for this family, is em- 

 ployed for a family of Alcyonarians, the above form seems desirable. 



