262 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.83 



Family POLYNOIDAE 



Genus LEPIDONOTUS Leach 



LEPIDONOTUS MINUTUS. new species 



Two very small specimens, both tightly coiled so that measure- 

 ments are hard to get, but they are about 7 mm long and 2.5 mm \vide. 

 From their small size I at first thought that they must be young, 

 but since one contains mature eggs they obviously are adult. There 

 are 12 pairs of elytra, completely covering the body. 



The prostomium is longer than wide, its posterior margin over- 

 lapped by the nuchal fold, and is unusual in having no lateral bulgings 

 or curves, the posterior diameter being only a little greater tlian the 

 anterior. There are two pairs of subequal eyes, both pairs visible 

 from above and situated rather in front of the middle of the prosto- 

 mium (fig. 18, a). The cirrophore of the median tentacle is a trifle 

 larger than those of the lateral, and its style extends only a short 

 distance beyond the lateral ones. All are of uniform diameter except 

 at the ends, where they narrow to form very delicate tips, those of the 

 lateral ones being longer than that of the median. The basal two- 

 thirds of each style is darker than the apex, but there is no defmite 

 pigmentation. The palps are not very large and reach to only a 

 short distance beyond the tentacles. The tentacular ch-ri are very 

 similar to the tentacles. 



In the parapodium (fig. 18, 6) is a heavy dorsal cirrus that extends 

 beyond the setal lobe. The notopodium is recognizable only by the 

 position of the acicula and the small tuft of setae arising direct from 

 the body wall. The posterior lip of the neuropodium is truncate at 

 the end, and from there its ventral margin extends downward as also 

 a striiight line, making an angle of about 45° with the end. The 

 anterior lip, into wliich the acicula extends, is more conical. The 

 ventral cirrus is slender and does not reach the end of the parapodium. 



In the notopodium are two kinds of slender colorless setae. Both 

 have slender stalks and carry two rows of fine-toothed plates. In one 

 kind the stalk is short and ends in a rounded apex, being free from 

 plates for an appreciable distance from the end. In the others, which 

 are more than twice as long as the first, the stalk is drawn out into an 

 exceedingly fine point, and toothed plates extend nearly or quite to 

 the end. This point is difficult to determine with accuracy, since the 

 stalk becomes very slender and the plates exceedingly small. It is 

 quite possible, in fact, that the terminal denticulations are, as have 

 been described in other species, fine teeth and not toothed plates. 

 It may be that the shorter of these setae are really broken specimens 

 of the longer type, but the ends seem too well rounded and entire for 

 that. The neuropodial setae are of only one kind, all much heavier 

 than the notopodial (fig. 18, c). They widen near the ends and then 



