390 Transactions. 



Fam. Amphinomidae. 

 Chloeia inermis Quatrefages, Hist. Nat. des ABnelees, 1865, vol. i, p. 389. 



Since the publication of this comprehensive work on the Annelids there 

 has been no further record of the occurrence of this worm. Nevertheless, 

 I have received several specimens from time to time, and wrote an account 

 of it some years ago, which has not been published. It was, however, 

 by an oversight, not included amongst the Polychaetes which I sent to 

 Ehlers. 



So far as our knowledge went, it was confined to New Zealand waters, 

 in which it is evidently by no means uncommon. But amongst the 

 " Endeavour " worms I find a specimen from the South Cape of Tasmania.* 

 A brief account of the species may be given, though it is unnecessary to 

 describe it in detail, for Mcintosh has given an excellent account, with 

 figures, of a typical species, C. flava Pallas, in the " Challenger " Eeport 

 on the Polychaetes, p. 8, pi. iii. 



The genus may readily be recognized by its general form. Its body 

 is spindle-shaped, blunter anteriorly than posteriorly. The belly is very 

 convex, and curves upwards to meet the narrow and flat back. It is 

 fringed on either side by two series of long, glassy, brittle, white or Ijemon- 

 coloured chaetae, which are directed outwards and backwards, and the 

 upper bimdles partially upwards also. Along the inner, or dorsal, side of 

 the upper bundles is the series of pinnate gills, which commence in the 

 5th segment, although on the 4th there may be a small and simple gill. 



The body-colour is yellowish-brown oj- pale buff, after long preservation, 

 with a white narrow band along the mid-dorsal surface. This is bordered 

 on each side by a narrow yellow line, and extends along the whole length 

 of the body. In one specimen the buff colour of the back gives way to a 

 pale-violet tint on the hinder segments. 



The caruncle, typical of the family, is attached to the first two segments, 

 but its free pointed end overhangs the next two ; it is pale yellow in colour. 



As in some other species, the dorsal cirri, as well as the prostomial and 

 peristomial tentacles, are dark-maroon-coloured or violet, even after years 

 of preservation in alcohol. The ventral cirri are white. 



The chaetae of this species are exceptional in structure, in that they 

 are without the serrations usual in the genus, and without the fork near 

 the tip. It was, no doubt, from this simplicity in structure that Quatrefages 

 named the species " inermis " — the bristles are unarmed with outgrowths. 



The majority of the chaetae in the dorsal bundles, both of the mid- 

 body and of the anterior segments, are perfectly smooth, without any trace 

 of serration or of forking (fig. 7) ; but one or two, which are longer and 

 finer than the rest, exhibit a minute step-like trace of a subapical spur. 



The ventral chaetae are much thinner than the dorsals, and are of three 

 sizes — (a) the stoutest, few in number, are perfectly smooth ; {h) the 

 majority, about half the thickness of the dorsals, have a minute obsolescent 

 spur (figs. 8, 9) ; and (c) extremely fine ones, with a similar spur. 



I guarded myself against overlooking this small spur in the dorsals, 

 as I recognized, of course, that so small a feature might, if it lay above 

 or below the main stem, be invisible under a low power ; but I was unable, 

 even by focussing carefully with a high power, to observe any sign of its 

 presence in the majority of the chaetae. 



* Benham, loc. cit., p. 206. 



