238 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETUM 22? 



rocky, gravelly-shelly, with bryozoan nodules. They may have a well 

 defined burrow but no definite tube and may form long galleries in the 

 cracks and fissures of rocks, the tunnels lined with mucus, mud, 

 muddy sand, and gravel. They may leave their burrows in search of 

 other worms and weaker animals upon which they feed ; they struggle 

 violently when captured and readily break up ; many of the specimens 

 taken have lost and are regenerating the posterior end (Moore, MS.). 

 They are used as bait by fishermen in England, being referred to as 

 "rock-worms" (Mcintosh, 1910). 



The eggs are laid in July and probably also in June in the Woods 

 Hole region; they are laid in masses of firm jelly (Moore, MS.). Young 

 stages are encountered in June in North Carolina (Hartman, 1945). 

 The young stages have been observed by Webster (1879). The 

 prostomium varies from rounded with no anterior indentation, to 

 shght depression, to distinct indentation. The number of eyespots 

 vary from 5, 4, to 2. The number of antennae varies from 0, 1, 3, to 5. 

 Branchiae vary from none, simple ones, to bifurcated ones. Some 

 have bidentate compound setae which gradually disappear as devel- 

 opment proceeds. 



Material examined. — Numerous specimens from Massachusetts 

 (Albatross III, 40°50' N., 66°58' W., 50 fathoms, 1953, R. Wigley; 

 New Bedford, Woods Hole region. Cape Cod, Vineyard Sound, Buz- 

 zards Bay), Rhode Island, Virginia (Chincoteague Bay area), North 

 Carolina (Beaufort), South Carolina (Jerico Creek, Mackays Creek 

 near Cherchersee River), Florida (Seahorse Key, Key West). 



Distribution.— A cosmopolitan species. English Channel, France, 

 Mediterranean, Adriatic, Massachusetts (Cape Cod) to Florida, Gulf 

 of Mexico, Bermuda, Bahamas, West Indies, Japan, China, south- 

 ern California to Mexico, Panama, Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Australia, 

 New Caledonia, East, West and South Africa. Low water to 50 

 fathoms. 



Marphysa bellii (Audouin and Milne- Edwards, 1833a) 



Figure 63,a-d 



Marphysa bellii Ehlers, 1887, p. 95, pi. 28, figs. 1-8.— Fauvel, 1923, p. 410, fig. 

 161, i-(?.— Wesenberg-Lund, 1949, p. 305.— Fauvel and Rullier, 1957, p. 88. 



Description.- — Length up to 200 mm., width up to 3 mm., seg- 

 ments up to 300. Body long, slender, tapering gradually to long 

 slender posterior end. Branchiae begin on about setiger 12 (12-15), 

 about 15 pairs (12-21), with about 11 (7-19) filaments per branchia, 

 pectinately arranged above the dorsal cirri (fig. 636). Dorsal cirri 

 short, subulate in anterior region (fig. 636), becoming long, filiform, 

 about as long as the setae (fig. 63c). Ventral cirri short, digitiform 

 anteriorly, becoming thicker, short, conical. 



