﻿ECHIUROID 
  WORMS 
  OF 
  NORTH 
  PACIFIC 
  — 
  FISHER 
  229 
  

  

  hensive 
  memoir 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  forefront 
  of 
  cxcollonco 
  and 
  will 
  long 
  servo 
  as 
  

   a 
  model 
  for 
  this 
  type 
  of 
  work. 
  

  

  ECHIURUS 
  SITKAENSIS 
  (Brandt) 
  

  

  Thalassema 
  (Echiurus) 
  sitkaensis 
  Brandt, 
  1835, 
  p. 
  62. 
  

   Echiitrus 
  silkaeyisis 
  Spengel, 
  1912b, 
  pp. 
  184-189. 
  

  

  Diagnosis. 
  — 
  Corpus 
  circiter 
  tripollicarc 
  oblongum, 
  e 
  subbrunneo 
  

   olivaceum, 
  obscurius 
  punctatum 
  et 
  transversim 
  striatum. 
  Proboscis 
  

   latiuscula, 
  carnea, 
  transversim 
  purpureo 
  striata, 
  apice 
  emarginata. 
  

   Unguiculi 
  anterioris 
  corporis 
  partis 
  et 
  spiculac 
  posterioris 
  lutea. 
  

   (Brandt.) 
  

  

  Differing 
  from 
  E. 
  echiurus 
  in 
  having 
  tw^o 
  nephridia, 
  in 
  lacking 
  a 
  

   differentiated 
  ridge 
  of 
  tissue 
  along 
  ventral 
  side 
  of 
  proboscis, 
  and 
  in 
  

   having 
  skin 
  papillae 
  subequal 
  rather 
  than 
  in 
  rings 
  of 
  larger 
  papillao 
  

   alternating 
  with 
  narrow 
  zones 
  of 
  smaller. 
  

  

  Remarks. 
  — 
  This 
  species 
  constitutes 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  major 
  mysteries 
  in 
  

   the 
  systematics 
  of 
  the 
  Ecliiuroidea. 
  Ivlertens 
  collected 
  two 
  specimens 
  

   at 
  Sitka, 
  both 
  of 
  wliich 
  he 
  dissected. 
  One 
  of 
  these 
  specimens, 
  his 
  

   notes 
  on 
  the 
  dissections, 
  and 
  a 
  life 
  sketch 
  in 
  color 
  reached 
  the 
  St. 
  

   Petersburg 
  Museum 
  and 
  were 
  used 
  by 
  Brandt. 
  Subsequently 
  all 
  

   these 
  became 
  available 
  to 
  Spengel, 
  as 
  he 
  details 
  in 
  his 
  Echiurus 
  paper 
  

   (1912b). 
  

  

  Spengel 
  made 
  a 
  thorough 
  examination 
  of 
  what 
  remained 
  of 
  the 
  

   internal 
  anatomy 
  and 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  satisfy 
  himself 
  that 
  only 
  two 
  nephrid- 
  

   ia 
  were 
  present, 
  in 
  the 
  location 
  of 
  the 
  anterior 
  nephridia 
  of 
  E. 
  echiurus. 
  

   The 
  proboscis 
  was 
  very 
  adherent 
  to 
  the 
  body, 
  and 
  it 
  lacked 
  the 
  ridge 
  

   of 
  tissue 
  on 
  its 
  concave 
  under 
  surface. 
  As 
  less 
  important 
  differences 
  

   he 
  lists: 
  skin 
  papillae 
  subequal, 
  in 
  rather 
  regular 
  and 
  very 
  numerous 
  

   rings 
  (not 
  rings 
  of 
  larger 
  pa])illae 
  alternating 
  with 
  zones 
  of 
  smaller); 
  

   curvature 
  of 
  anal 
  setae 
  stronger 
  than 
  in 
  echiurus; 
  color, 
  according 
  to 
  

   Mertcns's 
  drawing, 
  browiiish 
  olive 
  spotted 
  and 
  cross-stripad 
  with 
  

   darker, 
  the 
  proboscis 
  flesh 
  color 
  with 
  i)ur])le 
  transverse 
  stripes. 
  

  

  The 
  tougli, 
  nondcciduous 
  proboscis 
  is 
  characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  Alaskan 
  

   I'lchiurus 
  I 
  have 
  examined, 
  but 
  all 
  these 
  have 
  the 
  ventral 
  ridge 
  

   I)resent, 
  leaving 
  as 
  the 
  princi])al 
  characters 
  of 
  sitkaensis 
  the 
  two 
  ne- 
  

   phridia, 
  absence 
  of 
  proboscis 
  ridge, 
  and 
  the 
  subequal 
  papillae. 
  

  

  Wilson 
  (1900, 
  p. 
  174) 
  states 
  that 
  he 
  examined 
  Alaskan 
  specimens 
  

   of 
  E. 
  echiurus 
  { 
  = 
  ala.skanu.'i) 
  collected 
  by 
  J)r. 
  W. 
  R. 
  Coo 
  in 
  1899. 
  

   "This 
  species 
  was 
  found 
  abundantly 
  at 
  numy 
  different 
  localities 
  

   along 
  the 
  Alaskan 
  coast 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  Peninsula 
  and 
  on 
  adjacent 
  

   ishuids, 
  nearly 
  always 
  in 
  rich 
  black 
  mud." 
  I 
  have 
  listed 
  120 
  speci- 
  

   mens 
  from 
  Alaska 
  and 
  British 
  Columbia. 
  None 
  of 
  these 
  is 
  sitkaensis. 
  

  

  If 
  there 
  ii.v 
  a 
  sj)ecies 
  sitkaensis 
  it 
  may 
  nonnally 
  live 
  below 
  low 
  tide 
  

   and 
  only 
  occasionally 
  be 
  carried 
  shoreward 
  during 
  heavy 
  storms. 
  

  

  