﻿SIPUNCULID WORMS OF CALIFORNIA — ^FISHER 417 



The brain is similar to that of zostericolum but of a sHghtly different 

 form, the anteroposterior dimension being greater. The eye spots are 

 very tiny. 



Color in life, light dull sepia (pale grayish brown), darkest on 

 introvert; anterior collar of introvert brown, sometimes slightly 

 ruddy; tentacles pale olive green or brown, sometimes whitish on 

 sides opposite grooves. 



T2/pe.— U.S.N.M. No. 19615. 



Type locality. — Elkhorn Slough, a tributary of Monterey Bay, 

 Calif. In sandy mud, among Zostera. 



Distribution.- — Known only from California, intertidal and shallow 

 water. Bodega Head to Venice. Probably south of Monterey Bay 

 the species is found only off shore. 



Specimens examined. — From California: 



Elkhorn Slough, Monterey Bay, G. E. MacGinitie, 12 specimens. 



Tomales Bay, tide flats about 1 mile south of mouth, secured while collector was 



digging for gaper clam, Schizothaerus nuttalli, Aug. 26, 1941, S. F. Light, 



1 specimen. 

 Bodega Head, sand, D. M. Wootton, 1 specimen. 

 Off Venice, shallow water, sandy mud, M. W. de Laubenfels, 3 specimens. 



Young specimen. — Length 49 mm. None of the fixing muscles are 

 present; nephridia 9 mm.; contractile vessel with 6 Polian tubules; 

 intestinal spiral with 60 coils; oblique muscle bands very inconspicu- 

 ous. In small zostericolum the fixing muscles are strongly developed, 

 the nephridia are one-half to three-fourths the length of the fully 

 extended specimen, the contractile vessel has 10 tubules, and the 

 oblique muscle bands are more conspicuous than in adult. 



Specimens jrom of Venice, Calif. — Dr. M. W. de Laubenfels col- 

 lected 3 specimens that were washed up on the beach during a storm. 

 These had been roughly used by waves and unnaturally lengthened. 

 They measm-e 480, 620, and 660 mm. long, the posterior part being 

 very attenuate. Even so the nerve cord of the shortest was not 

 broken. The retractors of this specimen are 320 mm. long. From 

 the introvert papillae and the few (9 or 10) Polian tubules at end of 

 the contractile vessel, I have identified these specunens as perimeces. 

 In the smallest, least mutilated specimen the tenacular crown is 

 voluminous. The introvert at the collar is 10 mm. thick, which is 

 about twice that of the type, and the same dimension as in the large 

 Tomales Bay specimen. It is safe to estimate this specimen as hav- 

 ing a length of about 350 mm. when naturally relaxed. 



DENDROSTOMUM DYSCRITUM, new species 



Figure 87, B-E; Plate 30, Figure 3; Plate 34 



Diagnosis. — Differing from Dendrostomum zostericolum in havmg a 

 shorter, thicker body, about three times length of introvert, fusiform 



