﻿228 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  MUSEUM 
  vol.96 
  

  

  Collection 
  of 
  U. 
  S. 
  National 
  Museum 
  

  

  Cape 
  Smyth, 
  Alaska, 
  3 
  fathoms. 
  No. 
  850, 
  Point 
  Barrow 
  Expedition; 
  2 
  specimens 
  

  

  in 
  very 
  bad 
  condition, 
  without 
  proboscis 
  ; 
  possibly 
  these 
  are 
  intermediate 
  with 
  

  

  true 
  echiurus. 
  

   Off 
  Cape 
  Strogonof, 
  Alaska, 
  Albatross 
  station 
  3291, 
  lat. 
  56°58'30" 
  N., 
  long. 
  

  

  159° 
  11' 
  W., 
  26 
  fathoms, 
  black 
  sand, 
  gravel, 
  1 
  specimen 
  from 
  stomach 
  of 
  cod, 
  

  

  in 
  poor 
  condition. 
  

   Bristol 
  Bay, 
  Alaska, 
  No. 
  4597, 
  2 
  specimens, 
  one 
  lacking 
  proboscis. 
  

   Unalaska, 
  Alaska, 
  No. 
  16314, 
  2 
  specimens. 
  

   Bering 
  Island, 
  Nos. 
  4151, 
  16315, 
  2 
  specimens, 
  typical. 
  

   Alitak 
  Bay 
  (head 
  of 
  Lazy 
  Bay), 
  Kodiak 
  Island, 
  gravelly 
  sand, 
  January 
  22, 
  1941, 
  

  

  5 
  specimens. 
  

   Stepovak 
  Bay, 
  Alaska, 
  15-90 
  fathoms, 
  October 
  24, 
  1940, 
  1 
  specimen. 
  

   Dolgoi 
  Harbor, 
  Alaska, 
  October 
  6, 
  1940, 
  1 
  specimen. 
  

   Wrangell, 
  Alaska, 
  No. 
  4538, 
  August 
  28, 
  1882, 
  under 
  stones, 
  2 
  specimens. 
  

   Chasina 
  Bay, 
  Alaska, 
  No. 
  4601, 
  1 
  specimen. 
  

   Saginaw 
  Bay, 
  Alaska, 
  No. 
  4117, 
  1 
  specimen. 
  

   Without 
  stated 
  locality 
  (probably 
  Unalaska), 
  5 
  specimens. 
  

  

  Remarks. 
  — 
  The 
  type 
  specimen 
  was 
  taken 
  from 
  its 
  burrow, 
  a 
  tube 
  

   in 
  sandy 
  clay 
  beach, 
  24 
  inches 
  below 
  the 
  surface, 
  along 
  with 
  a 
  com- 
  

   mensal 
  polynoid 
  annelid, 
  Hesperonoe 
  adventor 
  (determined 
  by 
  Dr. 
  

   Olga 
  Hartman). 
  The 
  same 
  species 
  is 
  commensal 
  with 
  Urechis 
  

   caupo. 
  

  

  This, 
  the 
  common 
  Alaskan 
  Echiurus, 
  differs 
  from 
  the 
  typical 
  form 
  

   of 
  Europe 
  and 
  the 
  north 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  of 
  America 
  in 
  having 
  the 
  

   proboscis 
  firmly 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  body. 
  All 
  writers 
  who 
  have 
  handled 
  

   living 
  Echiurus 
  echiurus 
  emphasize 
  its 
  habit 
  of 
  dropping 
  the 
  proboscis 
  

   on 
  the 
  slightest 
  provocation.® 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  120 
  specimens 
  of 
  alaskanus 
  

   were 
  not 
  handled 
  with 
  care 
  but 
  were 
  simply 
  dropped 
  into 
  alcohol; 
  106 
  

   of 
  these 
  specimens 
  still 
  have 
  the 
  proboscis 
  firmly 
  attached, 
  while 
  at 
  

   least 
  5 
  lost 
  the 
  proboscis 
  subsequent 
  to 
  fixing, 
  apparently 
  from 
  rough 
  

   handling. 
  

  

  Under 
  ordinary 
  circumstances 
  I 
  should 
  have 
  given 
  Brandt's 
  name 
  

   sitkaensis 
  to 
  this 
  form, 
  assuming 
  that 
  Mertens 
  would 
  naturally 
  have 
  

   picked 
  up 
  at 
  Sitka 
  the 
  common 
  Alaskan 
  species. 
  J. 
  W. 
  Spengel 
  

   (1912b), 
  however, 
  succeeded 
  in 
  obtaining 
  one 
  of 
  Mertens's 
  two 
  spec- 
  

   imens, 
  upon 
  which 
  Brandt 
  based 
  his 
  description, 
  and 
  found 
  that 
  it 
  

   differed 
  fundamentally 
  from 
  Echiurus 
  echiurus 
  in 
  having 
  only 
  two 
  

   nephridia, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  certain 
  other 
  respects. 
  The 
  name 
  sitkaensis 
  

   is 
  therefore 
  definitely 
  associated 
  with 
  a 
  type 
  specimen 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  

   redescribed 
  by 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  zoologists 
  of 
  his 
  time. 
  

  

  The 
  ecology 
  of 
  Echiurus 
  echiurus 
  has 
  been 
  studied 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Torsten 
  

   Gislen 
  (1940) 
  chiefly 
  at 
  Kristineberg, 
  Sweden. 
  His 
  very 
  compre- 
  

  

  « 
  Torsten 
  Gislfin 
  says: 
  "As 
  stated 
  before 
  the 
  proboscis 
  is 
  very 
  easily 
  thrown 
  off. 
  In 
  fact 
  probably 
  only 
  

   very 
  few 
  men 
  have 
  seen 
  a 
  proboscis 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  an 
  Echiurus. 
  Forbes 
  and 
  Qoodsir 
  say 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  so 
  

   slightly 
  affixed 
  to 
  the 
  body 
  as 
  to 
  break 
  off 
  at 
  the 
  least 
  touch; 
  in 
  only 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  cases 
  did 
  they 
  find 
  it 
  attached, 
  

   and 
  then 
  it 
  broke 
  away 
  immediately 
  on 
  the 
  removal 
  of 
  the 
  animal. 
  Only 
  in 
  some 
  exceptional 
  instances 
  

   have 
  I 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  secure 
  specimens 
  with 
  the 
  proboscis 
  retained." 
  (Gisl6n, 
  1940, 
  p. 
  10.) 
  

  

  