170 ALLAN HANCOCK PACIFIC EXPEDITIONS VOL. 22 



Maldanella harai (Izuki) (a maldanid). None of these has been identi- 

 fied from the basins of southern California. Kirkegaard concluded that 

 about a third of the total number occur in shallow parts (to 2000 meters) 

 of the abyss, 1 1 1 species at depths below 2000 meters, and only 32 species 

 are ultra-abyssal. Later (1956, p. 70) he named polychaetes from depths 

 of 6000 meters depth or more. Of these 10 were regarded as abyssal, 

 occurring in temperatures below 4° C. Two, Macellicephala abysskola 

 Fauvel, a polynoid, and Kesun abyssorwn Monro, an opheliid, occur in 

 all three major oceans. Two others are in the Atlantic and Pacific 

 oceans, one is in the Pacific and Indian oceans, and two are from the 

 deep Pacific ocean. Five out of 15 species are eurybathic and eurythermal. 

 In this connection it should be noted that the specific identity of at 

 least two species may be doubted. Tharyx multifilis Moore, first named 

 from shallow water of southern California, is recorded from the Banda 

 trench in 6580 meters. Ancistrosyllis constricta Southern, named from 

 the east coast of India in shallow waters of high temperatures, is re- 

 corded from the same trench and depth. It seems likely that these specific 

 entities have been given too broad an interpretation, and that a com- 

 parison with materials from type localities will disclose specific differ- 

 ences. 



The only typical abyssal genera recovered from the basins of southern 

 California are haetmonice, Hyalinoecia and Ilyphagus. Species which 

 may be regarded as strictly deep water, and extending into abyssal depths 

 are: Leanira calcis and L. alba, Euphrosine paucibranchiata, humbrineris 

 moorei and L. longensis, Ceratocephala loveni pacifica, Nereis anoculis, 

 Ennereis caeca, Onuphis vexillaria, Ninoe fusca, Phylo nudus, Califia 

 calida, some paraonids, opheliids, maldanids, ampharetids, and terebellids. 



A general feature concerning the polychaetes is the telescoping or 

 reduction of characters from those usually present in representatives of 

 shallower water. Many of the species nearly, but not quite agree, with 

 those from shelf depths. Typical examples are G lye era capitata bran- 

 chiopoda Moore which differs from G. capitata Oersted chiefly in that 

 the branchial portion of parapodial lobes is noticeably longer than in 

 shallow water forms. Goniada brunnea has a transition region from 

 thorax to abdomen farther forward than in shelf specimens. Tharyx 

 tesselata is usually pale white and very fragile from basin depths, whereas 

 specimens from shallow water tend to be dark to deep purple and inhabit 

 tough, chitinized tubes. Scalibregma inflatum has prolonged parapodial 

 bases in deep water specimens, while those from shallow bottoms have 



