170 Transactions. 



chaetae., He states that the chaetae surrounding the end of the body 

 measured 6 mm. in length and are ' blassgelb " in colour; the dorsal 

 bundle of chaetae has rarely more than four (which is true when examined 

 under a lens only); there is but a single ventral hook, the figure of which, 

 crude as it is, is sufficiently like that of the present species. The few details 

 that he gives, then, might well refer to our specimens. There is, however, 

 one in which it appears to differ. Schmarda says that the dorsal chaetae 

 are thicker than those of the cephalic crown, and have a greater number 

 of transverse striations, since these are closer together in the former than 

 in the latter. His figure shows no such difference in size, but his account 

 of the striations agrees with what I find. 



On the grounds, then, of probability, and of agreement in the general 

 structure, it seems to me we must revive Schmarda's specific name for our 

 common Chlorhaemid.* 



Art. XXL— Prelim inary Report on the Polychaetous Annelids from the 



Kermadec Islands. 



By W. B. Benham, D.Sc, F.R.S. 



[Read before the Otago Institute, 8th July. 1914.] 



Although a few deep-water Annelids were obtained by the " Challenger " 

 in the neighbourhood of the Kermadec Group, no littoral forms have hitherto 

 been recorded. Mr. Oliver's collection contains nineteen species belonging 

 to thirteen genera, none of which agree with the species described by Mcintosh 

 in the " Report of the ' Challenger ' Expedition." 



Of these nineteen, only two species occur on the seashores of New 

 Zealand — viz., Odontosyllis picta and Flabelligera bicolor. Two others have 

 hitherto been found only in the Australian waters — namely, Lepidonotus 

 simplicipes and Amphinome nitida. Five are widely distributed through- 

 out the Indo-Pacific oceans — Eunice aphroditois, Lysidice collaris, Eurythoe 

 complanata, Phyllodoce macrolepidota, and Lepidonotus glaucus. There are 

 two others with even a wider distribution — namely, Eunice sicilieusis, 

 which occurs in the Mediterranean as well as in the Indo-Pacific area ; and 

 Hipjionoe gaudichaudi, originally obtained from the coast of Australia, has 

 been met with as far away as the eastern coast of America. It is a rare 

 species, and there are only three other records since its discovery. 



I have found it necessary to found eight new species and one new varietv. 

 all of which, however, are more or less closely allied to Indo-Pacific forms. 



I have not yet had the time to finish the drawings in illustration of these 

 new species, so that in this preliminary note I refrain from naming them ; 

 for I hope to publish a detailed account of this interesting collection else- 

 where, with full synonymv and references to literature. 



* I had hoped that before this article was published I should have been able to 

 convince Professor Ehlers of the justice of my conclusion, and while preparing the manu- 

 script I posted a packet, containing samples from various localities, to Ehlers, and a 

 letter asking him to compare them with the types of his two species. Unfortunately, war 

 was declared before the packages reached England, and they were returned to me as 

 " undeliverable." 



