POLYNOIDAE 93 



mediate stages in which the second tooth appears to be abortive. In the front region the 

 bristles are predominantly bidentate and in the hinder region unidentate. The first two 

 chaetigers carry special bristles. In the first foot there are in the upper part of the 

 bundle a few moderately stout bristles with frilled ends and long, whip-like slender 

 tips (Fig. 8 a). The rest of the bundle consists of delicate barbed bristles (Fig. 8 b). 

 In the second foot the bristles are similar to those of the first except that the stout upper 

 bristles are more numerous and the delicate barbed bristles much fewer. 



Remarks. Johnson's Californian specimens measured up to 165 mm. in length, and 

 the elytra did not extend to the hinder extremity. Moreover, the arrangement of the 

 elytra is a little difi"erent from that given by Johnson, who also makes no mention of the 

 special bristles in the first two segments. Nevertheless, I believe this specimen to be- 

 long to Johnson's species, of which it is probably a young example. The arrangement of 

 the elytra brings it close to my genus Lepidastheniella characterized by the presence of 

 elytra on the 2nd, 4th, 5th, 7th, and on every alternate segment to the end of the body. 



Ehlers's L. irregularis (Ehlers, 1901, p. 54) is very near, but the elytra are relatively 

 much smaller, more rounded and do not overlap. They present a very different 

 appearance from that of the widely overlapping, more or less reniform or oval 

 structures in the present species. 



The specimen is stated to have been found as a commensal with a Terebellid which 

 itself occupied an empty Gastropod shell of the genus Valuta. 



Genus Hololepida, Moore 



Up to about 120 chaetigers. The head has the lateral tentacles inserted subterminally. 

 There are a large occipital flap or gibbosity and a prominent facial tubercle. The elytra 

 are inserted on segments 2, 4, 5, 7, and on alternate chaetigers up to the 23rd segment : 

 from the 23rd to about the 40th segment they follow an irregular sequence, and from 

 behind about the 40th chaetiger they are found in every segment. The notopodial 

 bristles are fine, smooth capillaries: the upper neuropodial bristles are slenderly 

 lanceolate and delicately denticulated, the lower neuropodial are coarser and have rows 

 of frills and bidentate tips. 



Hololepida australis, n.sp. (Fig. 9 a-h). 



Occurrence. St. WS 246 (i); WS 248 (i); WS 824 (i); WS 825 (i). 



Description. In its general aspect this species is more like a Panthalid than a Poly- 

 noid. It is very large and striking to the eye. None of the specimens is complete and the 

 largest fragment measures 90 mm. by 8 mm. without the feet and 17 mm. with the feet 

 for only 38 chaetigers. The most complete fragment measures 63 mm. by 12 mm. with 

 the feet for 42 chaetigers. Another specimen is broken into three pieces which together 

 measure 95 mm. by 12 mm. including the feet for 59 chaetigers. These three fragments 

 although all apparently belonging to the same individual do not represent an entire 

 animal. The body is elongate, vermiform and flattened dorso-ventrally. In spirit the 

 dorsum is a bluish grey, the feet and the large bolster-like elytrophores being colourless. 



