POLYCHAETE WORMS, PART 1 95 



cent organs), chroniophile glands (colorless, stain with nuclear stains 

 as hematoxylin), and hyaline glands (not stained by hematoxylin; 

 usuall}^ colored by a reddish-brown secretion). Proboscis eversil)le, 

 short, unarmed; when everted, has the shape of an elliptical disk. 



Voracious predators in the plankton. Some species may at times 

 be the dominant forms of the plankton and must be of considerable 

 importance as food for fishes. Swim with great swiftness by the 

 rapid vibrations of the lateral finlike parapodia, darting through the 

 water in all directions. 



Contains only one New England genus. 



Germs Tomopteris Eschsclioltz, 1825 



Type (monotypy) : TornojJteris onisciformis Eschscholtz, 1825. 



Both species have the long setigerous tentacular cirri originating 

 from broad subconical bases, extending from one half to almost the 

 length of the body (fig. 24). Parapodial rami conical, entirely 

 bordered by oval membranous plates or pinnules (fig. 25,6-c). 



Key to the New England Species of Tomopteris 



1. With a tail region (fig. 24; absent in young). Rosette organs present (fig. 

 256). With first pair short tentacular cirri present in young (fig. 25a), 

 absent in adult (fig. 24). With gonads in both dorsal and ventral rami of 



parapodia T. heJgolandica 



Without a tail region. Rosette organs absent. Without first tentacular 

 cirri in young or adult. With gonads in dorsal rami of parapodia only 

 (fig. 25c) T. septcnlrionalis 



Tomopteris helgolandica Greeff, 1879 



Figures 24, 2o,a,b 



Tomopteris smithii Verrill, 1879, p. 182. — Hartman, 1944a, p. 338, pi. 25, figs. 



8,9. 

 Tomopteris (Johnsionella) helgolandica Moore, 1903b, p. 798, pi. 55, fig. 13. — 



Southern, 1911, p. 8.— Sumner, Osburn, and Cole, 1913, p. 624.— Fauvel, 1923, 



p. 221, fig. 83,/^,^■; 1953, p. 143, fig. 7l,/i,i.— St0p-Bowitz, 1948a, p. 42, fig. 28.— 



Clark, 1960, p. 17.— Eliason, 1962, p. 238. 

 Tomopteris (Johnsionella) catharina Huntsman, 1921, p. 86, figs. 1, 2. — Bigelow, 



1928, p. 334, fig. 94.—? Not Gosse, 1853. 



Description. — Length up to 87 mm., width up to 8 mm., segments 

 15-34 (of which 4-14 may form the tail region). Body widest in the 

 region of parapodia 4 or 5, tapering gradually posteriorly, then 

 abruptly in the cylindrical tail region (provided with rudimentary 

 parapodia only). With parapodial rosette organs (yellow in life; 

 yellowish brown when preserved) on the inner sides of the ramal tips 

 (fig. 256) as well as on the ventral rami of the first 2 pairs of para- 

 podia; with chromophile glands (colorless or gray; deeply stained 

 with hematoxylin) rather small, found ventrally on pinnules of ventral 



