MISCELLANEOUS VERMES 



By Joel W. Hedgpeth, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California 



Phylum Echiurida 



Information concerning this phylum in the Gulf 

 of Mexico consists of two records for Thalassema 

 philostracum Fisher (1947) which is known from 

 the type locality, Thornton Island, near Engle- 

 wood, Florida, and from a single specimen from 

 Mustang Island, near Port Aransas, Texas, and a 

 record of Th. mellita from Apalachicola Bay by 

 Pearse and Wharton (1938). This latter record 

 may actually refer to Th. philostracum which is 

 also known from Beaufort, North Carolina. The 

 Florida specimens were found in dead gastropod 

 shells; the Texas specimen was found in a test of 

 Mellita quinquiesperforata. The animal is rather 

 small with a bright red body and a pale cream to 

 white proboscis. 



Phylum Sipunculida 



Our knowledge of the Sipunculida of the GiJf 

 of Mexico is based principally on collections in 

 the vicinity of Key West and Tortugas, Florida. 

 A total of 1 1 species is known to occur in the Gulf 

 of Mexico, 10 of them from Key West or Tortugas. 

 One of these is also recorded from Cedar Keys, 

 and the eleventh has been collected from Cami- 

 nada Bay near Grand Isle, Louisiana. The avail- 

 able published information on these sipunculids 

 win be found in two papers: Gerould (1913) and 

 Fisher (1947). 



Examination of the known sipunculid fauna of 

 the Gulf of Mexico reveals that two species, Gol- 

 fingia { = Phascolosoma, vide infra) cinerea and 

 Siphorwmecus multicincta are so far known only 

 from Key West, and one, Goljingia cylindrata, is 

 known from Key West and Bermuda. The two 

 species occurring in the more northern waters of 

 the Gulf, Phascolion stromhi ( ?) and Dendrostoma 

 alutaceum, occur on the South Atlantic coast and 

 are evidently eurythermal, especially the latter 

 which occurs at Key West. The other species are 

 widely distributed throughout the American 



2.J9.5.34 0—54- 



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tropical area. A curious anomaly is the absence 

 of SipuncuLus nvdus from the northern Gulf coast 

 in view of its wide distribution and occurrence at 

 Key West. This may simply be an indication of 

 inadequate collecting. 



Genus GOLFINGIA Lankester 



(Phascolosoma auct. nee Leuckart) 



This best known of sipunculid genera is one of 

 those victims of nomenclatural confusion which is 

 a sadder aspect of taxonomic procedure. Fisher 

 (1950) has reluctantly determined that the avail- 

 able name which must be used is Lankester's Gol- 

 Jiiujia, a name coined in commemoration of an 

 excursion on the golf links with Professor Mac- 

 intosh at St. Andrews. Furthermore, Phascolo- 

 soma is actually the valid name for the species 

 which have been hitherto included under Physco- 

 soma by most recent authors. 



Golfingia cylindrata (Keferstein). 

 Gerould, pp. 382-383, pi. 58, fig. 2. 



A small (less than 1 inch long) species known 

 from Key West and Bermuda. 



Golfingia cinerea (Gerould). 



Gerould, pp. 396-398, figs. 6-7. 



Known only from a single specimen collected 

 south of Key West in 45 fathoms. 



Genus PHASCOLION Theel 



Phascolion strombi (Montagu). 



Gerould, pp. 40.3-416, figs. 9-11, pi. 60, figs. 10-13. 



Specimens, apparently of this widely spread 

 and variable species, have been found inhabiting 

 shells of Nassarius vibex in Caminada Bay, 

 Louisiana. They are small, and the identification 

 is tentative. 



Genus DENROSTOMA Grube 



Dendrostoma alutaceum Grube. 



Gerould, pp. 417-418, fig. 12, pi. 59, fig. 9. 



This species is known from off Cape Hatteras, 

 Key West, Tortugas, and Cedar Keys. 



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