POLYCH^TA. — ^BENHAM. 193 



In the snialler individuals the spines on the marginal 

 papillae are sharper and fewer than in the larger type. 



The colour varies somewhat in tone ; some are paler, others 

 darker ; in some the smaller tubercles are almost black, in 

 others brown. But colour is not a thing of importance in 

 these worms, and in an individual, the successive elytra 

 present differences in these respects. 



Locs. — Oft" Maria Island, Tasmania, 78 fathoms. A single 

 specimen, which has been selected as the type. 



East of Maria Island, Tasmania, 78 fathoms. 



East of Babel Island, Bass Strait, about 70 fathoms. 



South of Mt. Cann, Victoria, 75 fathoms. 



East coast of Flinders Island, Bass Strait. 



Physalidonotus laevis, sp. nov. 



(Plate xxxix., figs. 26-32.) 



Two specimens were obtained, the larger of which has the 

 following dimensions : — Length, 32 mm. by 13 mm. across the 

 elytra and 15 mm. over the chsetae, with a height near the 

 middle of the body of 6 mm. 



The second individual is darker in colour, and measures 

 only 20 mm. by 10 mm. across the elytra. 



The elytra are pale brown, and appear to the naked eye 

 relatively smooth as compared with P. rugosus and others. 

 The exposed surface is covered with small colourless stellate 

 tubercles, which are quite minute anteriorly (PI. xxxix., fig. 

 28) ; they increase in size towards the areola and the posterior 

 border, but none attain the same large proportions found in 

 P. sqitamosus or P. rugostis. Even those on the external 

 margin are short. 



Over the upper end of the areola these stellate tubercles 

 are more densely aggregated, are slightly larger and taller 

 than those in the posterior region, but not greatly so (PI. 

 xxxix., fig. 31). 



The marginal papilla; are somewhat different from those 

 ui P. rugosus ; they are cylindrical rather than obconical, 

 with a few large spines at the free end (PI. xxxix., fig. 29) ; 

 the largest of the spines is usually a continuation of the axis 

 of the papilla, the others radiating more or less at right 

 angles from it. But on the posterior margin many of the 

 papillae have five nearly equal spines radiating horizontally, 

 one of which is larger than the rest. 



