﻿SIPUNCULID WORMS OF CALIFORNIA — FISHER 421 



Nephridia unequal, the longer about one-third the body length. 

 They differ from all the California species in opening a conspicuous 

 distance behind the anus. 



The intestinal spiral has 26 coils. Postesophageal gut rather short. 

 A constriction just posterior to attachment of F^ marks the end of 

 the esophagus proper. 



The vascular system is similar to that of D. dyscritum. Even though 

 the specimen is small there are very nearly as many Polian tubules as 

 in a large dyscritum, and a majority branch near the base. 



7Vj5e.— U.S.N.M. No. 21222, March 3, 1940, E. F. Ricketts, 1 

 specimen. 



Type locality. — Point Lobos, Espiritu Santo Island, near La Paz, 

 Baja California. 



Distribution. — Known only from intertidal zone, Gulf of California. 



Specimens examined. — From Mexico: 



San Carlos Bay, on the Gulf side of Baja California, March 30, 1940, E. F. Ricketts, 



1 specimen. 

 Puerto Penasco, Baja California, Dec. 24, 1947, W. H. MacGinitie, 13 retracted 



specimens from 6 to 16 mm. long. The smallest have a translucent body wall. 

 Miramar Beach, Guaymas, rocky, shore, Feb. 10, 1948, W. H. MacGinitie, 



3 specimens about same size as type. 



Remarks. — Whether the representatives of this species are always 

 small it remains for future exploration to ascertain. The nearest 

 relative is a large species, numerous examples of which were collected 

 by Dr. Waldo L. Schmitt at Independencia Bay, Peru. With one 

 exception all the specimens are strongly contracted, but the length of 

 the largest would probably be between 100 and 150 mm.; thickness 15 

 to 20 mm. The skin is smooth and grayish and there are no elevated 

 papillae or spines on the introvert. The crowded glands of the body 

 are transversely elongated and do not form conical elevations, although 

 on the introvert they do to some extent. The nephridia open well 

 behind the anus as in lissum. In the one specimen having partly 

 extended tentacles there are four major stems, each divided into two 

 principal arms near the base, and the two dorsal tentacles are much 

 smaller than the ventrals. All branch profusely. 



FLxing muscle F^ anchors both the postesophageal gut and the 

 uppermost coil of the ascending intestine by sending branches to each 

 (fig. 87, F). F^ is attached to the esophagus in the usual place, and 

 F^, a short distance posterior to the coecum. The retractors are 

 powerful and arise considerably farther forward than in lissum, as is 

 to be expected in the much larger animals. The gonads are not 

 situated on the muscles, but the stolon lies on the body wall behind the 

 line of origin of the retractors, which is concave to nearly straight. In 

 a large specimen the gut spiral has 27 double coils. The nephridia 

 would be regarded as long, since they extend posterior to the origin of 



