Benham. — Notes on New Zealand Polj-chaeta. 389 



cuticle readily separates from the underlying body-wall ; but so far as I 

 can make out from examination of several feet the arrangement is as 

 follows (fig. 4) : On the cirriferous feet there is 1 short rounded papula 

 about midway along the anterior face ; in one case I noted a second smaller 

 papula near the base of the foot. On the posterior face there are 2 papulae, 

 one close to the cushion, the second close to the base of the cirrus. On 

 the elyti'iferous feet the anterior face carries 2 and the posterior 3 papulae, 

 of which latter one springs from below the cushion, the second about 

 midway along the foot, the third on the upper surface just behind the 

 notopodial lobe. 



The chaetae present no special features ; they are quite like those of 

 other species, except that one or two of the most ventral chaeta are smaller 

 than the rest (which is no unusual thing), and present the same constriction 

 below the bearded region that I have described and figured for P. pauci- 

 branchiatus* (In the figure of this chaeta the constriction is exaggerated ; 

 it is to be remarked that it is less noticeable in glycerine mounts than in 

 Canada balsam ; and perhaps I have in my account laid too much stress 

 on this feature.) 



In the present species the long fringes of the " beard " are broken or 

 worn away, as is the case in most of the specimens of P. squamosa. It 

 is perhaps due to the fact that these worms normally live in rather deep 

 water, and those that we find on the shore have been washed up, and so 

 damaged. 



The prostomium is about as broad as its length. Both pairs of eyes 

 are very far back, and quite lateral in position (fig. 5). Only the posterior 

 eye is visible from above, and only the upper edge of this. When the 

 prostomium is viewed from the side, the two eyes are seen to be close 

 together ; the hinder and upper eye is larger than the anterior lower eye, 

 as in P. paucibranchiatus. 



The median tentacle is about 3 times the length^of the prostomium, 

 and the laterals about 2^ times. 



Locality. — -Otago Harbour. 



Remarks. — In the structure of the head this species bears considerable 

 resemblance to P. paucibranchiatus, as also in the general arrangement 

 of the elytral tubercles. But in that species the -supra-areolar tubercles 

 are much more conspicuous, owing to their larger size and very definite 

 linear arrangement ; and the latter is true of the marginal tubercles. 



The rays are narrower, more regular in size, and more sharply pointed. 

 The upper surface of the tubercles when seen from above or in side view 

 is studded with small rounded prominences. 



The new species differs entirely from the ordinary P. squamosus in the 

 form and arrangement of these tubercles, which in that species are long 

 and subcylindrical, and especially numerous on the external region. 



The gills, however, the general form of the body, and the chaetae are 

 different. 



As to the papulae, we are ignorant as to how far these are good specific 

 characters — how far they may vary at different ages of one and the same 

 individual ; but so far as my studies have gone they seem to be fairly 

 constant. Of the elytral tubercles it is known in other Polynoids that 

 there may be a great range of variability, and it may turn out that this 

 New Zealand worm is identical with P. paucibranchiatus. 



* Benham, "Endeavour " Polychaeta, p. 196. 



