NEREILEPAS. 159 



Lycoris fucata, Savign. Syst. Annel. 31. 

 Nereis buccinicola, Leach, MSS. Brit. Mus. 

 Nereis bilineata, Johnston in Ann. Nat. Hist. iii. 295. pi. 6. f. 4. 

 Nereis fucata, Aud. c^ M.-Edw. Lift, de la France, ii. 188. Grube, 

 Fam, Annel. 49. Johnston in Ann. Nat. Hist. v. 175. 



Hab. The Laminarian region. It is generally found in old univalve 

 shells (viz. Fusus antiquus, Bucciiium undatum, aud Fusus cor- 

 neus) ; and it occupies the shell in common with the Hermit- 

 lobster. 



Besc. Body from 3 to 4 inches long, ^ths or |th broad, semi- 

 cylindrical, tapered towards the tail, of a tile-red colour, marked 

 along the back with two snow-white lines, the narrow space between 

 them being of a fine dark red colour, glossed with a pearly purple 

 lustre, more especially on the ventral surface. Head small, the 

 front as usual pointed with two conical antennae longer than its own 

 diameter, and furnished at each side with a large biarticulate palpus. 

 Eyes four, black, and very distinct. Mouth inferior. The proboscis 

 roughened with black prickles. Jaws falcate, rather small and 

 slender, corneous, crenulate on the inner edge ; the crenulatious four 

 or five, and not deep ; the brown curved extremity plain. Tenta- 

 cular cirri four on each side, setaceous, of unequal lengths. Seg- 

 ments 118, very narrow, the first broader than the following, but 

 not equal in breadth to two united, convex dorsally, smooth. Feet 



No. XXX. — Nereilepas fucata. 



uniform, the superior cirrus elongate, surpassing the dorsal bran- 

 chial ? papilla, which is more prominent and much larger than the 

 others (No. XXX.). Bristles of the upper tubercle few, those of the 

 lower bifasciculate, two-jointed, the apical joint smooth, often broken 

 away from the lowermost bristles. Spines brown, acute ; ventral 

 surface flat. Tail with two short styles. 



When macerated in spirits, the lines and red colour are com- 

 pletely removed, and the body becomes of a uniform pearl-grey. 



I have occasionally found this beautiful species concealed in old 

 univalve shells, brought up, with other rubbish, on the lines of our 

 fishermen ; one individual was taken from a shell of Fusus corneus, 

 which appeared at first to be fully occupied with a Hermit-lobster. 



Obs. The body is plano-convex, narrowed gradually to the tail, 

 and also at the head, the feet forming a fringe on each side fully a 



