﻿THE 
  SIPUNCULIDS 
  OF 
  THE 
  EASTERN 
  COAST 
  OF 
  NORTH 
  

   AMERICA. 
  

  

  By 
  John 
  Hiram 
  Gerould, 
  

  

  Of 
  Dartmouth 
  College, 
  Hanover, 
  New 
  Hampshire. 
  

  

  INTRODUCTION. 
  

  

  The 
  large 
  collection 
  of 
  sipunculids 
  from 
  off 
  the 
  eastern 
  coast 
  of 
  

   North 
  America 
  that 
  has 
  been 
  accumulating 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  

   National 
  Museum 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  40 
  years, 
  chiefly 
  through 
  the 
  

   explorations 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Fish 
  Commission 
  and 
  the 
  present 
  

   Bureau 
  of 
  Fisheries, 
  has 
  hitherto 
  not 
  been 
  studied, 
  and 
  almost 
  

   nothing 
  has 
  been 
  known 
  of 
  the 
  rich 
  sipunculid 
  fauna 
  of 
  the 
  western 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  Atlantic. 
  < 
  

  

  The 
  genus 
  Phascolosoma 
  has 
  been 
  thought 
  to 
  be 
  represented 
  in 
  this 
  

   region 
  by 
  three 
  species 
  only: 
  Phascolosoma 
  gouldii, 
  a 
  littoral 
  form 
  

   not 
  uncommon 
  in 
  New 
  England, 
  Ph. 
  eremita 
  { 
  = 
  horeale), 
  found 
  in 
  

   waters 
  of 
  medium 
  depth 
  off 
  the 
  New 
  England 
  coast, 
  and 
  Ph. 
  jiagri- 
  

   ferum, 
  an 
  abyssal 
  species. 
  Eight 
  others 
  are 
  now, 
  from 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  

   this 
  material, 
  to 
  be 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  list 
  of 
  Phascolosomas 
  found 
  off 
  the 
  

   eastern 
  coast 
  of 
  North 
  America, 
  two 
  of 
  them 
  being 
  new 
  species 
  and 
  

   another. 
  Ph. 
  verrillii, 
  here 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time 
  fully 
  described. 
  The 
  

   five 
  remaining 
  species 
  (margaritaceum, 
  cylindratum, 
  procerum, 
  sahel- 
  

   larise, 
  and 
  improvisum) 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  recognized 
  as 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  

   American 
  fauna. 
  Ph. 
  jiagriferum, 
  mentioned 
  above, 
  originally 
  de- 
  

   scribed 
  from 
  a 
  specimen 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  Challenger 
  from 
  the 
  deep 
  sea 
  

   eastward 
  from 
  Virginia, 
  is 
  again 
  recorded 
  as 
  having 
  been 
  dredged 
  by 
  

   the 
  U. 
  S. 
  Fisheries 
  steamer 
  Albatross 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  latitude, 
  but 
  nearer 
  

   the 
  Virginian 
  coast. 
  

  

  The 
  genus 
  Phascolion 
  is 
  represented 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  National 
  

   Museum 
  by 
  an 
  abundance 
  of 
  material 
  from 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  eastern 
  

   coast, 
  exliibiting 
  such 
  a 
  wide 
  range 
  of 
  variation 
  that 
  the 
  writer 
  was 
  

   at 
  first 
  inclined 
  to 
  describe 
  several 
  species. 
  Prolonged 
  and 
  thorough 
  

   study 
  of 
  this 
  material, 
  however, 
  has 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  all 
  

   these 
  variations 
  should 
  be 
  referred 
  to 
  the 
  single 
  cosmopolitan 
  species,' 
  

   Phascolion 
  stromhi 
  (Montagu), 
  with 
  which 
  Phascolion 
  csementarium 
  

   (Quatrefages) 
  is 
  identical, 
  and 
  of 
  which 
  Phascolosoma 
  ( 
  = 
  Phascolion) 
  

  

  Proceedings 
  U. 
  S. 
  National 
  Museum, 
  Vol. 
  44— 
  No. 
  1959. 
  

  

  373 
  

  

  