362 



GREEFFIELLA 



connection with these glands, and these were located in the vicinity of the anus, 

 their number indicating that the number of caudal glands may be less than 

 the usual three. The excretory pore lies near the nerve-ring opposite the sixth 

 annule in the male and opposite the seventh in the female ; its spherical ampulla 

 is one-fourth as wide as the corresponding portion of the neck. The nerve- 

 ring surrounds the oesophagus somewhat obliquely where it first diminishes 

 in diameter somewhat behind the middle. In the dorsal side of the neck, 

 opposite the 9-14 rows of setae there are some relatively large organs, 

 probably two or more finely granular cells. From the somewhat inconspicu- 

 ous, small, elevated vulva, which is surrounded by minute setae, the small, 

 weak, non-cutinized, tubular vagina leads inward at right angles to the 

 ventral surface about one-third the distance across the body. Little is known 

 concerning the double symmetrically reflexed female sexual organs. 



1.5 6.6 10.6 'M 



set m. 



set min 



. set m 



X1000 



>0.34. 



set tit 



3.2 7.7/ 11. 18. -Ml. 



The slightly arcuate, irregularly 

 conoid, faintly sigmoid tail of the 

 male, on the whole, rather re- 

 sembles that of his mate. The 

 two equal, straight, very slender, 

 uniform, acute, colorless spicula, 

 which are slightly cephalated by 

 expansion, are about one and one- 

 fourth times as long as the anal 

 body diameter. If swung around 

 behind the anus, they would just 

 about reach to the base of the 

 Fig. 3. Tail end of Greeffiella dasyma. Let- spinneret; they are about twice as 

 tering as in Figs. 1 and 2. ann pnlt, penultimate wide as the bases of the somatic 

 annule; ann ult, ultimate annule; spn, spinneret, setae, are a little larger distally 



than elsewhere, and are perhaps 



winged. No gubernaculum has been seen. On the fifth and eleventh 

 annules in front of the anus occur ventrally submedian papilla-like organs, 

 indicated by the presence of minute setae arranged in a cluster about a 

 nerve ending (?), about ten setae on the fifth annule and a much smaller 

 number on the eleventh. There are also similar ventrally sublateral bunches 

 of setae on the annules preceding the large (duplex?) conical one bearing the 

 spinneret. On the lateral field near the middle of the male, a bunch of minute 

 setae was observed like those on the fifth annule in front of the anus. The 

 nature of these special organs, for such they must be, remains in doubt. 

 It seems quite possible that some of them are male supplementary organs. 

 The wide cylindrical testis is one-half as wide as the body and is reflexed to 

 near the proximal ends of the spicula. 



Habitat: Found in sponges, Biscayne Bay, Florida, U. S. A., March, 1916. 

 Male examined and measured in a living condition ; female fixed in Flemming's 

 solution and soon after examined and measured in water. The form of the 

 pharynx and oesophagus; the presence of special tubular setae; the structure 

 of the spinneret, and the relatively small number of annules, seem to indicate 

 a closer relationship of Greeffiella with Desmoscolex than has been hitherto 

 imagined. Perhaps Greeffiella should be placed in the same family with 

 Desmoscolex, Tricoma, etc. 



