280 ANNELIDA POLYCH^TA ANDREWS. 



Family ACCETID^. 



ACCETES Aud. and M. Edw. 



Accetes lupina Stimpsou. 



Stimpson. On some remarkable marine invertebrata inhabiting the shores of South 



Carolina, Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., vol. V, pp. 116, 117. 

 QuATREFAGES. Histoire naturelle des Annelis, vol. Ii, p. 674. 



Of this remarkably large scale-anuelid only two specimens were taken 

 at periods of iiniisually low tide in July, 1885, both in muddy, somewhat 

 grassy, areas exposed but imperfectly aud for a short period. One was 

 found in "Shark Shoal," the other with amphitrite on the edge of Crab 

 Point Thoroughfare. The greatest length is 24 inches. The other speci- 

 men measures 10 inches, with a diameter including parapodia of 14 

 millimetres at the fortieth somite. The elytra are about one hundred 

 and thirty-eight on each side, smoky black with white yellow edges ; 

 they cover the parapodia, but leave dorsal surface mostly uncovered. 



General color reddish brown, lurid, not translucent, anterior 2 inches 

 of dorsal side whitish ; ventral median vessel purple. In the smaller 

 individual taken on Shark Shoal the color is markedly lighter and more 

 variegated. 



Dorsal cirri end in acute white cones, ventral cirri small and dark red. 

 On ventral side of parapodium several transparent elevations are 

 noticeable anteriorly, but gradually disappear towards the posterior 

 part of the body. 



At the posterior end the body is transparent and bears flake-white 

 anal cirri. 



There can be no doubt that this is the same Annelid that Stimpson 

 found in Charleston Harbor — agreeing as it does in all the essential 

 characters he gives. 



The larger specimen discharged great quantities of sper matozoa from 

 openings anterior and ventral to the ventral cirri. 



The peculiar tubes, suggesting those of cerianthiis very forcibly, are 

 one-fourth of an inch thick, made of concentric layers of tough mem- 

 branous substance aud inclose a lumen one-half inch wide. These tubes 

 stand vertically in the soft mud and extend down more than two feet. 



Microscopic examination of the tube shows that the layers of mem- 

 brane are formed of long, yellow fibrils looking like chitin and iden- 

 tical with those figured and described by Eisig {die ca^itelliden) as 

 secreted by Polyodontes. 



Family NEPHTHYDID.E. 



NEPHTHYS Cuv. 



Nephthys bucera Ehlers. 



Ehlers. Die Borsteuwiirmor, p. 617, PI. xxui, Fig. 8. 



Verrill. Invert. An. Vineyard Sound, pp. 416,583, PI. xil, Fig. 58. 



Webster. Aunel. Ghiiet., Provincetown, p. 702. 



Not uncommon in the sand of various shoals, especially upon the 

 outer parts scarcely uncovered at low water. 



