EUNicJb:. 129 



Fam. III. EUNICE. 



Les Eunices, Cuv. Rhgn. Anim. iii. 199. 



Eunice, Savig. Syst. Annel. 13 & 47- Lam. Anim. s. Vert. v. 320. 



Stark, Elem. ii. 137. 

 EuNiCiEA, Latreille, Fam. Nat. 239. 

 EuNiciENS, Aud. 4* M.-Edw. Litt. de la France, ii. 131. 

 Eunices, Oersted, Annul. Dan. Consp. 15. 

 EuNiciD^, Williams, Rep. Brit. Assoc. 1851, 174. 

 Euniciadje, Williams in ibid. 229. f. 53, 54. 

 Eunicea, Grube, Fam. Annel. 41. 



Char. Body vermiform : head distinct, small : proboscis short, 

 plain at the orifice, furnished with several pairs of jaws articulated 

 one above the other, and approximated beneath so as to rest on a 

 sort of under-lip of the same horny or calcareous texture ; the jaws 

 of the right side less than those of the left : segments numerous, 

 narrow, the first and second apodous, the latter occasionally with 

 two tentacular cirri : branchiae in the form of pectinated filaments, 

 either straight or spiral, attached above at the base of the feet along 

 a more or less extensive portion of the body, usually obsolete towards 

 the extremities ; and in some genera there are no branchiae : feet 

 uniform, uniramous, somewhat lobulated, with a dorsal and ventral 

 cirrus, and with spines and fasciculated bristles : bristles simple and 

 compound : anal segment with two styles. 



The Annelides of this family render the connexion between the 

 Amphinomians and the Nereides less abrupt than otherwise it 

 seemed to be. The general form is linear-elongated, and almost 

 cylindrical, but tapered posteriorly. The body is composed of very 

 numerous annulations. The head is not overshot by the first pair 

 of feet, as is the case in many Amphinomians. The eyes may be 

 either distinctly defined, or they may not be demonstrable. The 

 antennae also vary much. In some species as many as seven and 

 nine have been reckoned ; in others there are five well developed ; 

 in others there are three or two only ; and sometimes there are none. 

 The mouth, which is inferior, is furnished with a proboscis armed in 

 a manner that constitutes the most remarkable peculiarity of the 

 family. It has never less than seven horny jaws ; and there are 

 sometimes eight and nine, with, in addition, a sort of support formed 

 by two pieces of the same texture. The manner in which these 

 jaws are articulated will be mentioned under the respective genera. 

 The branchiae are in the form of pectinated, or rather semipectinated, 

 filaments, affixed to the base of the feet on the dorsal side, and form- 

 ing a series on each side, more or less continued along the segments. 



K 



