Benham. — Results of Traiolincj off Otago Coast. 3 



An interesting instance of commensalism came into view in 

 smashing the shells inhabited by the hermit crab— chiefly 

 StrutJiiolaria and Fusus shells. In the upper part of the 

 shell, above or at the side of the Pagm^id's abdomen, was 

 found, in several instances, an x\nnelid, closely allied to the 

 common Nereis that occurs in mud or sand below stones along 

 the coast. This worm, however, is stouter and more brightly 

 coloured than the shell- worm. It is banded alternately red- 

 dish-brown &,nd white, and is remarkable in that the first pec- 

 toral segment is produced forwards round the head as a free 

 collar-like flap, It is an entirely new species, and may 

 possibly be the type of a new genus — new not only to New- 

 Zealand, but to science. As I have not yet fully examined it 

 I withhold its name, since I cannot here give a detailed descrip- 

 tion of it. I found both males and females. In the latter the 

 green eggs within partially killed the brown colour of the body- 

 wall. The males and females occurred isolated : I did not 

 find more than one worm in each shell. 



Each hermit crab was accompanied by a second messmate 

 in the shape of a small shrimp-like animal, which Mr. G. M. 

 Thomson has been good enough to name for me : it is Lillje- 

 borgia hasivelli. This little amphipod is peculiarly coloured — 

 the head end is red, the tail half is white. It occupied the 

 topmost whorl of the shell ; and I do not remember seeing 

 more than one at a time. 



Hermit crabs have long been known to be accompanied by 

 a Nereid, but I believe the occurrence of an amphipod together 

 with the other two is a novelty. 



The crabs afforded excellent examples of " protection," for 

 the carapace was entirely concealed by foreign growth — 

 sponges, hydroids, &c. — and even the exposed parts of some of 

 the appendages bore their share. 



A brief reference to a beautiful Doris may be added. We 

 obtained six or seven large violet Dorids, measuring from 4 in. 

 to 7 in. long during life, and about 3 in. broad and about l^in. 

 high. The most remarkable feature, apart from the size and 

 colour, lies in the closely set, rounded, flattened papillae, of 

 various sizes, large and small, into which the skin of the entire 

 dorsal and lateral surfaces is raised up, some of the papillae 

 measuring nearly |in. across. This is not unlike Abraham's 

 D. wellingtonensis , but there is nothing in his description that 

 •enables me to identifv this find with his much smaller Dorid. 



