SYSTEMATIC ACCOUNT 187 



Reg. no. 1930.10.8.907/958), apparently because the two anterior dorsal cirri of each are modified 

 as seminal pouches; in all respects, however, the specimens are identical with V. crystallina and I 

 refer them to this species. Similarly I consider Monro's (1937) specimen of V.formosa, from 'John 

 Murray', St. 131 d (not 13D as printed) (B.M.(N.H.), Reg. no. 1937.9. 2.91) to De V. crystallina. The 

 specimen from St. 100 (p. 254) has a bifurcate median antenna. 



The descriptions of V.formosa and V. crystallina indicate how closely related they are, and because 

 they both occupy the same zoogeographical areas it is possible that they represent stages in the 

 complex life cycle of a single species. This, of course, can only be elucidated through observation of 

 the living animals. 



General distribution. V. crystallina is widely reported from the South Atlantic where it has its 

 southern limit of distribution at the Sub-Tropical Convergence (see pp. 252-255). 



Vanadis longissima (Levinsen), 1885 



Type locality. 26 o' N., 26 o' W. 



Rhynchonerella longissima Levinsen, 1885, pp. 330-1, figs. 7-10. 

 Vanadis longissima Fauvel, 1916, pp. 66-7. 

 Vanadis longissima Fauvel, 1923, p. 207, fig. T]f—g. 

 Vanadis longissima Monro, 1930, pp. 79-91, fig. z^a-c. 

 Vanadis formosa Monro, 1930, p. 81 (in part). 

 Vanadis antarctica Monro, 1930, p. 116 (in part). 



Description. No complete specimens of this species have been examined but the longest piece is 

 80 mm. in length by 9 mm. wide across the tips of chaetae. The dorsal unpaired antenna lies im- 

 mediately behind the paired anterior group. The proboscis is terminated by twelve separate small 

 papillae. There are three pairs of conical tentacular cirri, all of equal length, of which the first are 

 joined ventrally. The first pair of parapodia are achaetous and have small but broadly foliaceous 

 dorsal cirri ; ventral cirri are minute. In the mature female the dorsal cirri of the second and third 

 parapodia are converted into very large, darkly pigmented, seminal pouches, ventral cirri are small and 

 conical; between the two cirri a single compound chaeta projects. The pigment on the seminal 

 pouches appears to originate from the pigmented segmental glands on the second and third feet. 

 From the fourth foot parapodia have foliaceous dorsal cirri, conical pedal and ventral cirri and long 

 compound chaetae ; all parapodia gradually increase in size to a constant width at about the eleventh 

 foot. On specimens other than mature females the second and third feet are poorly developed with 

 small foliaceous dorsal cirri and short ventral cirri. The occurrence of the pigmented segmental glands 

 does not follow a particular pattern ; this is indicated in Table 9 where the position of the glands up 

 to the forty-third feet has been tabulated from four specimens with more than one hundred chaetigers. 

 After the forty-third parapodia the glands appear at intervals of one, two or three feet up the end of 

 the body. Although no complete specimens have been examined, all the material listed has at least 

 one hundred pairs of parapodia. Normally the pigment is confined to the gland or the dorsal surface 

 of the gland-bearing segment but it may also cover the dorsal and ventral surfaces giving a striped 

 appearance to the specimens. 



Discussion. I have re-examined Monro's (1930) specimens of V. formosa from 'Discovery', 

 Sts. 270 and 282 (B.M.(N.H.), Reg. no. 1930. 10.8.942/904) and his 1936 material of V. antarctica 

 from 'William Scoresby', Sts. WS 408, WS 411 (B.M.(N.H.), Reg. no. 1936.2.8.866/867) and con- 

 sider them to be V. longissima. 



General distribution. V. longissima has been widely reported from the Atlantic Ocean where it 

 probably has its southern limit of distribution at the Antarctic Convergence (see p. 224). 



4-2 



