PRIAPULIDAE 259 



to a good deal of alteration, some authors preferring to use Michaelsen's name of 

 antarcticus, while others have preferred Baird's name of tuber ailato-spinosus. While the 

 atter is clumsy, I see no reason why Baird's name should not stand, as it is now re- 

 cognized that Baird's specimen belongs to this variety, in spite of trivial discrepancies 

 in his description. 



This form is widely distributed in the Antarctic seas. It was taken at nine of the 

 Discovery stations, thirteen specimens in all being secured. Of the nine stations only 

 four were in areas from which the species had been previously recorded, and the 

 remaining five, namely, the South Orkneys, South Shetlands, and the area lying 

 between these two groups of islands, are new localities. 



The range in depth of the stations was considerable. At Port Stanley it was taken on 

 the shore; at South Georgia from 4 to 178 m., while in the South Shetlands the records 

 all come from depths ranging from 210 to 391 m. The specimens varied considerably 

 in size, but in most cases they were too contorted to allow of any accurate measure- 

 ments being made. The smallest, only some 5 mm. overall and taken in the beginning 

 of January, came from St. 144, South Georgia. The next smallest specimen, taken in 

 February, was about 11 mm. in length, and came from St. 167, off Signy Island, 

 South Orkneys. The other specimens in order of size were considerably larger and this 

 would suggest that breeding takes place in late summer. 



The largest specimens came from the South Shetlands, the body and introvert being 

 between 90 and 100 mm. overall. 



As it is usual to see these animals with the natural colours lost in the course of pre- 

 servation, the following notes made of the colours for five of the specimens when 

 collected may be of interest. 



St. 1873. 'Pale in colour, except the introvert, which is brown.' 



St. 1952. 'Colour generally a pale dirty yellow-brown; caudal vesicles a dull, but 

 deeper, yellow-brown: teeth dark brown.' 



St. 1961. {a) 'Colour throughout a pale dull dirty cream.' {b) 'Colour throughout 

 a pale dirty cream.' {c) ' Colour pale cream.' 



In the two last specimens the full colour may not have been developed, since the 

 specimens were comparatively small and may have been fairly young. 



LITERATURE CITED 



Baird, W., 1868. Monograph of the species of worms belonging to the subclass Gephyrea. Proc. Zool. Soc. 



Lond. 

 1873. Description of some new species of Annelida and Gephyrea in the collection of the British Museum. 



J. Linn. Soc. (Zool.), XI. 

 Benham, W. B., 1916. Report on the Polychaeta obtained by F.I.S. 'Endeavour' on the coasts of New South 

 ' Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia. III. Report on the Gephyrean Priapulus obtained 



by F.I.S. 'Endeavour' in Australian waters. Fish. Commonw. Australia, iv. 



1922. Gephyrea inermia. Sci. Rep. Aust. Antarctic Exp. 1911-14. Series C, vi, pt. 5. 



1932. Friapulus cmdntus in New Zealand waters. Nature, Lend., cxxx. 



Collin, A., 1901. Die Gephyreen der Deutschen Expedition S.M.S. 'Gazelle'. Arch. Naturgesch., 67. 



Jahrgang, Beiheft. 



