204 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [May, 



'■^ Magelona papillicornis was originally described by Fritz Miiller in 

 1858 from specimens taken off the coast of Brazil. Since then it has 

 been repeatedly recorded from various parts of Europe, and because of 

 its remarkable characters has been much studied. As mentioned 

 above, Andrews was the fii'st to recognize Magelona on the coast of 

 North America. More recently Johnson has described a very distinct 

 species from Puget Sound. 



Hitherto the North Atlantic species has always been considered 

 identical with the Brazilian species, the very noteworthy difference 

 in the color of the blood of the two having been curiously overlooked . 

 Miiller describes his species as having pale violet blood, whereas all 

 specimens from the North Atlantic have madder pink blood. IMiiller's 

 description is very brief, and the other characters mentioned are 

 generic only. It is quite probable that when the Brazilian species is 

 better known other characters than the color of the blood will be found 

 to distinguish it from ours. Comparison of Wood's Hole specimens 

 with the excellent figures of parapodia given by Mcintosh and Mesnil 

 make it clear that the European species again is quite distinct from 

 ours and will require to be named. The most obvious difference is 

 that the setse of the tenth somite of the former are provided with a 

 bulbous terminal enlargement and small process, while those of M. 

 rosea are unmodified. 



Spionides japonicus sp. nov. 



Known from the anterior end only. Size large, probably not less 

 than 4 or 5 inches long, moderately slender. The type, consisting of 

 the head and 44 setigerous somites, is 25 mm. long and 2.5 mm. wide. 

 A fragment from the postbranchial region indicates a still larger 

 worm, having a width of nearly 4 mm. 



Prostomium (Plate XVI, fig. 31) flattened, subtriangular, nearly as 

 broad as long, the base anterior; anterior margin very broad, divided 

 into a low, wide, median lobe and a pair of narrow, bluntly rounded 

 lateral lobes directed toward the sides; lateral margins concave, meet- 

 ing in the blunt, rounded apex which is slightly elevated and bears a 

 slender, suberect nuchal cirrus, behind which a low, narrow ridge 

 continues along the dorsum. Eyes 1 pair, large, conspicuous, reddish- 

 brown, crescentic, situated at a slight widening behind the middle of 

 the prostomium; just anterior to each of them is a curved series of 

 small reddish-brown pigment specks. 



Peristomium forming lower lips and lateral cephalic lobes; the latter 

 small, rounded laterally and becoming very narrow posteriorly, where 

 they disappear l^eneath the prostomium just behind the level of the 



