158 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology. 



13. Taeniosoma punnetti Coe. 



Harriman Alaska Expedition, 11, p. 173, PI. 16, figs. 1-3; PI. 18, 



fig. G, 1904. 



Text-fig. 31. 



This species is rather common along the coast of California at a 

 depth of a number of fathoms, but is seldom found between tides. 

 In internal anatomy it presents few characters deviating from those 

 of related forms. The most characteristic features of external 

 appearance and internal structure are as follows : — 



Bodj' large, soft, fiabby, very contractile, rounded in esophageal 

 region, and much flattened posteriorlj'^ when well extended; very 

 short and subcvlindrical when stronfflv contracted ; head and 

 anterior portions of body extremely contractile ; smooth and some- 

 what flattened when moderately extended, but abruptly truncated, 

 cylindrical, and thrown into deep circular wrinkles when contracted, 

 the snout being withdrawn into the swollen succeeding poitions of 

 head. Mouth variable in size according to state of contraction of 

 anterior portions of body ; large and elongated when head is well 

 extended but small and rounded when head is strongly contracted. 



Esophageal region often greatly swollen, esophagus apparently 

 serving to some extent as a respiratory organ, as has often been 

 considered the case in Cerehu.vtulus. 



Color. — (xeneral color of body usuall}^ brownish red, mahogany, 

 or dark red, with only a tinge of brown, often appearing as if cov- 

 ered with a delicate whitish bloom. Anterior portion of head much 

 deeper brown or almost black, on dorsal surface sharply marked off 

 frotn a narrow white border which occupies the terminal and lateral 

 margins of snout (Text-fig. 31). 



Ventral side of snout white ; this color is continuous with that of 

 margins of dorsal surface, occasionally extending back on ventral 

 side of head proper, and sometimes including mouth region also. 

 Ventral surface of esophageal region of a reddish brown color, sim- 

 ilar to that of dorsal surface, but of a paler and more grayish shade, 

 often A\nth grayish median band. Intestinal region of similar color but 

 much inrtuenced by grayish of intestinal canal, often pale gray in 

 median line. 



