Benham, — T]ie Sipimciilids of New Zealand. 173 



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The first sipunculid to be described was named Si2Jicnculns 

 ceneus by Baird''' in 1868. Eleven years later Captain 

 Huttonf described two new species, which he named Sipun- 

 culus lutulentus and Phascolosoma annulatum. The former 

 was obtained at Cape Campbell, at the north-east point of the 

 South Island, tbe latter from Dunedin and Caps Campbell. 



My attention was directed to the group by the gradual 

 accumulation of specimens from various parts of the coasts 

 of both Islands, and on dissecting a worm which agrees in 

 external appearance with Captain Button's diagnosis of 

 Phascolosoma anmdatum I at once observed that it possesses 

 internal characters that range it with quite a distinct genus — 

 viz., Pliyscosovia (or Phymosoma, as it has been called up to 

 within the last few years). This led me to examine those 

 specimens in the store-room that retain labels in Captain 

 Hutton's handwriting, with the result detailed below. 



I find three such bottles or tubes, each containing a single 

 specimen — namely, (a) labelled ''Phascolosoma amiulatimi, 

 Hutton, Dunedin"; [h] labelled merely "Cape Campbell," 

 containing a worm differing entirely from the preceding ; 

 (c) with a label the writing on which is almost obliterated, 

 but which appears to be " Sijjunculus cyatieus," without any 

 indication of locality. This specimen appears to have dried 

 up at some time : it is hard, shrivelled, nearly black, and 

 quite unrecognisable. I failed, unfortunately, to find any 

 trace of tube or bottle bearing a label " Si2:)H7iCitl'ics lutu- 

 lentus," either in the store or in the Museum itself. It is 

 possible that it was sent, together with a collection of annelids, 

 to the British Museum by the late Professor Parker. The 

 tubes {a) and (h) are either Hutton's "types" or "cotypes." 

 The worm contained in the former (<x) is not Phascolosoma at 

 all, but is Physcosoma, characterized by the crescentic form of 

 the tentacular crown situated above the mouth, and by the 

 longitudinal muscles being in several distinct bundles; that in 

 (b) belongs to the interesting genus Dendrostoma, as is shown 

 by the form and arrangement of the circumoral tentacular 

 crown. 



Physcosoma, Selenka, 1897 { — Phymosovia, auctorum). 

 Physcosoma annulatum, Hutton = {Phascolosoma annn- 

 latum, Hutton.) 



As the specimen in the tube agrees almost precisely with 

 Hutton's diagnosis I insert it here. In the original diag- 

 nosis, however, there are one or two slight errors, due pro- 

 bably to the examination of specimens imperfectly extended. 



* Proc. Zool. Soc, 1868, p. 81. 

 t Trans. N.Z. Inst., xii., p. 278. 



