POLYCHAETE WORMS, PART 1 91 



Family Alciopidae 



Exclusively pelagic (ma}'' be considered as pelagic phyllodocids 

 derived from the Eidalia stock). Body transparent, rather short to 

 considerably elongated, cylindrical, wdth regularly arranged pigmented 

 glands, which may be associated with pigmented bands (fig. 22a) or 

 pigmented lobes at the bases of the parapodia (fig. 236). Fragile, 

 fragmenting easily. 



Prostomium small, ^vith 4 frontal antennae and a median antenna 

 (may be rudimentary), flanked by 2 enormous, spherical, highly 

 organized, orange or red eyes with globidar lenses, directed laterally. 

 The prominent lateral position and the extreme development of the 

 eyes residt in very extensive vision, forward, outward, and backward. 

 Tentacidar cirri 3-5 pairs. Parapodia elongated, uniramous, wdth 

 foliaceous dorsal and ventral cirri. Setae nimierous, long, capillary, 

 transparent, all simple or all compound or both types. Predatory. 

 Proboscis unarmed (rarely with horny denticles), encircled with 

 papillae around opening (two lateral papillae may be of considerable 

 size). 



Many alciopids have evolved a copulatory mechanism whereby the 

 males agglutinate the sperm into a kind of spermatophore and transfer 

 them to the females where they may be stored in modified parapodia 

 or sperm receptacles until required (fig. 22a). Mostly oceanic in 

 surface waters where they are sparsely distributed in the plankton. 

 The 2 species included here are merely representatives of the family. 



Key to the Genera of Alciopidae 



1. Parapodia terminating in single cirriform appendage (fig. 22,c,d) . . Vanadis 

 Parapodia terminating in 2 cirriform appendages (fig. 236) Alciopa 



Genus Vanadis Claparede, 1870 



Type (monotypy): Vanadis jormosa Claparede, 1870. 



Vanadis longissima (Levinsen, 1885) 



Figure 22 



Vanadis longissima Fauvel, 1923, p. 207, fig. 77,/,^.— Monro, 1930, p. 79, fig. 24. — 

 St0p-Bo\vitz, 1948a, p. 29.— Dales, 1955, p. 439; 1957, p. 121, figs. 31-33.— 

 Tebble, 1960, p. 187. 

 Description. — Length up to 200 mm., width up to 3 mm., segments 

 up to 200. Body long, thin, cylindrical, delicate, fragmenting readily, 

 transparent, with bright red eyes and dark brown glands forming 

 characteristic segmentally arranged bands. Prostomium small, with 

 2 pairs of subequal frontal antennae and a short conical median an- 

 tenna between the 2 enormous spherical eyes. Tentacular cirri 



569-457—63 7 



