Polycirnis eximius (Leidy. 1855) 



Tin-qiKd (x'nnia Leidy, 1855: 146, pi. 11; Fig. 

 51,. 52. 



MiiUridl (Xd mi lied. — Three .specimens iden- 

 tified by \errill in 1881 from Station 1003 in 

 Vineyard Sound, Ma.ss. (USNM 8165). Six speci- 

 mens dredged off Beaufort in 5-80 m. 



D( ■'«-yipliiiii. — Body up to 9 mm long for 52 

 segments. Tentacular lobe (Figure 16h) trefoil- 

 sliaped, with folded margins bearing numerous 

 tentacles. No gills. Notosetae on 16-18 .seg- 

 ments starting from second and all notopodia 

 with terminal fleshy tags. Notosetae of two 

 lengths (Figure 16k, 1); both types bilimbate 

 with minutely spinulo.se or hispid blades. Ven- 

 trum with a narrow medial groove separating 

 10 glandular ventrolateral swellings. Setigers 

 1-."] with obvious nephridial papillae; three pairs 

 of large nephridia revealed by dissection. Uncini 

 from setiger 7 ( = .segment 8). Individual uncini 

 (Figure 16i, j) with a cap of about seven long 

 teeth above main fang. 



Rcnidrks. — The description given above is 

 based on the fresh specimens dredged off 

 Beaufort. The three specimens identified by 

 Verrill are similar apart from the following de- 

 tails. Noto.setae are present on .segments 18-20 

 instead of segments 16-18. Nephridial papillae 

 were seen on setigers 1-6 instead of setigers 

 l-.'5 but dissection still revealed only three 

 large pairs of nephridia although small ones 

 may be present on the other three segments. 

 The uncini were generally similar but the details 

 were clearer; above the main fang there was a 

 median tooth surmounted by an arc of six to 

 eight teeth giving the formula MF : 1 : 6-8. 



Leidy's type of Torqiiaea eximiu has been 

 lost and his description is inadequate. He com- 

 ments on the red color of the body and the 

 numerous extensible tentacles. The length of 

 the worm was half an inch (? 12 mm) for 40-60 

 segments. The number of segments with noto- 

 setae was not stated but it was noted that uncini 

 commence on segment 8, i.e., setiger 7. The 

 figures of the notosetae and uncini are too small 

 to show specific characters. 



To summarize, it may be stated that the 

 characters of the North Carolina specimens 

 agree with the characters of specimens identi- 



fied by \'errill and are consistent with Leidy's 

 original description as far as it goes. It is worth 

 noting too, that the above description of P. 

 cxiiuiKs agrees with that given by Fauvel (1927), 

 for Pdlycin-Hn Iciiiiisctix Langerhans from Ma- 

 deii-a, with the exception that P. eximius is red 

 in life while P. tciiiiisctis is colorless (? in life). 



Later descriptions of P. eximius by Verrill 

 and Smith (1874) and by Miner (1950) state 

 that there are more segments with notosetae 

 and that the uncini start after setiger 7. Possibly 

 these descriptions refer to the different form 

 described below. 



Reeards.— Off Beaufort in 5-80 m (20, 21, 

 *). The intertidal records by Webster (1879). 

 Andrews (1891a), Hartman (1945), and Wells 

 and Gray (1964) do not give diagnostic charac- 

 ters and are thus doubtful. 



Distrihiitidii. — Ma.ssachusetts to North Caro- 

 lina; ? Madeira; intertidal to 80 m on sandy mud. 



Polycirrus eximius dubius New Subspecies 



Fiu'UI'c Uiq 



Ptili/ciiTiis ( xiiiiiiiK. - Verrill, 1878a: 616, pi. 16: 

 Fig. 85. - McCloskey. 1970: 26. 



H(il(iti/pe.~\JSNm 43130. 



Description. — Body pink in alcohol when 

 fresh, about 20 mm long for 80 segments. Ten- 

 tacular lobe large and frilly with numerous 

 tentacles. No gills. Notosetae on 31 segments 

 starting from segment 2; individual notopodia 

 with terminal fleshy tags. Nephridial papillae 

 obvious below notopodia of setigers 1-6, the 

 fir.st three larger than others. Six pairs of large 

 nephridia revealed by dissection. Ventrum with 

 a median groove separating 10 pairs of ventro- 

 lateral glandular swellings. A short row of 

 uncini on setiger 9 and longer rows on subse- 

 quent segments. Notosetae of two lengths; 

 longer ones with broader blades and shorter 

 ones with nai'rower blades; both types with 

 blades apparently striated under low magnifica- 

 tion but finely spinulose when seen under oil- 

 immersion. Uncini (Figure 16q) with an arc of 

 about five long teeth above main fang. 



Remarks. — The holotype was found on coral 

 at 18 m off Beaufort by Dr. L. McCloskey. This 

 subspecies has setae very similar to those of 

 P. eximius Leidy described above but there are 

 more segments with notosetae, the uncini first 

 appear on setiger 9 and there are six large 



123 



