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No. XII.— POLYCHiETA OF THE INDIAN OCEAN. 



Part II. THE PALMYRID^, APHEODITIDiE, POLYNOIDiE, 

 ACGETIDiE, AND SIGALIONIDiE. 



By E. A. Potts, M.A., Fellow of Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and Demonstrator 

 of Cowparative Anatomy in the University of Cambridge. 



{Cunununicati'd by J. Stanley Gardiner, M.A., F.R.S., F.L.S.) 

 (Plates 18-21.) 



Read 17th June, 1909. 



Family PalmyridSB, Kinberg. 



This family is essentially characterised by the possession of the broad dorsal setae known 

 as palece. The absence of modified dorsal cirri (elytra) hus been remarked by most 

 authors and held to separate these forms from the Aphroditids. The example of 

 Fabnyra aiirifera which was dredged by the ' Challenger ' and described by Mcintosh * 

 possesses elytra, and, since the notopodium'in this genus beai's capillary setae in addition 

 to palese, only the fact that these dorsal capillary setae are not developed to form a felted 

 niass covering the back saves Palmyra from being included in the Aphroditids. In 

 no other species of the family have elytra been noticed ; the genus Falmyropsis 

 here described presents strong resemblances to Aphroditid forms, but the absence of 

 elytra, the sessile eyes, and the almost entire suppression of dorsal capillary setae 

 separate it much more distinctly than Palmyra. The other Palmyrids in general 

 appearance as well as in structure are widely lemoved from the Aphroditidte, but we 

 may quite reasonably suppose that the entire family of the Palmyridae are descended 

 from such form or forms as Pontogenia by modifications consequent on the excessive 

 development of the dorsal setae. 



Gravierf gives a useful synopsis of the genera of this family, which is reproduced 

 here, modified only by the introduction of a genus described by Johnson \ in 1898, and 

 another contained in this collection, an account of which is given below. 



Palese and capillary setae borne by notopodium Palmyra, Savigny. 



Neuropodium bears simple setae only ... Palmyropds, gen. ii. 



Neuropodiuin bears rPalete equal Chrysopetalum, ^h\ers. 



compound setie-^ Paleae some broad, 



only L some narrow ... //i?/eropa/e, Johnson. 



Neuropodium witli simple and com- 

 pound setae Paleanotus, Schmaida. 



^ Narrow paleae, leaving most of back bare Dysponetus, Levinsen. 



Body elongated, segments numerous Bhawania, Schmardfi. 



Body short, 

 segments few 



i 



Setae only borne 

 by notopodium. 



* W. C. Mcintosh, H.M.S. 'Challenger' Reports, vol. xii. Polychaeta, pp. 5.3-56. 

 t C. Gravier, Nouv. Arch. Mus. Hist. Nat. Paris, ser. 4, t. iii. 1901, p. 259. 

 + Johnson, Proc. Calif. Acad. ser. 3, Zool. vol. i. p. 162. 

 SECOND SERIES. — ZOOLOGY, VOL. XIII. ^3 



