coe: nemerteans of west and northwest coasts. 169 



19. Lineus pictifrons Coe. 

 Harriraan Alaska Expedition, 11, p. 188, PI. 17, figs. 5, 6, 1904. 



PL 3, fig. 36. 



This species may be recognized by its dark color and peculiar 

 markings on head and body, and by the following characteristics of 

 external appearance and internal anatomy. 



Body remarkably soft and fiabby, very changeable in shape, but 

 usually somewhat flattened throughout ; often snarled, twisted, and 

 tied in knots ; fluted longitudinally, and constricted transversely 

 when contracted. Head narrower than body, elongated, often 

 emarginate in front, narrower at posterior end of unusually loi]g 

 cephahc slits than in its middle portion ; ocelh wanting. 



Size. — Commonly 5-15 cm. long, and 3-4 mm. in width, occa- 

 sionally attaining a length of half a meter. 



Color.— General color of body, both above and below, deep 

 brown, chestnut or slaty, Avith a tinge of green in reflected light, or 

 of plumbago or bluish when seen in shadow ; sometimes with red- 

 dish tinge, and usuaUy with a soft, velvety sheen. Head with a 

 rosy or chestnut tinge beneath the brown. Posterior extremity 

 very pale in color. Body usually shows a series of transverse and 

 longitudinal yellowish markings on dorsal surface (PI. 3, fig. 36). 

 Transverse markings are the more conspicuous and consist of a 

 series of 40-1 00 or more lemon yellow rings, the more anterior of 

 which commonly encircle the whole body, while those farther back 

 appear on dorsal surface only. They usually have diamond-shaped 

 thickenings in median line. Markings are much obscured in some 

 specimens and occasionally are almost completely wanting. Most 

 anterior marking is situated at posterior end of cephalic furrows ; it 

 is usually much larger and more conspicuous than any of the others, 

 although limited to dorsal surface. 



Dorsal surface corrugated with longitudinal flutings, often accen- 

 tuated by very fine hair-like longitudinal lines of ocher or orange 

 color which extend throughout most of the body. Lines not only 

 very fine and inconspicuous but much interrupted and irregular, 

 usually wavy, and often consisting of rows of elongated dots of 

 color ; much internipted on head, appearing only as rows of very 



