PHILICHTHYS XIPHI^. 139 



1. Philichthys xiphiae Steenstrup. 

 (Plate XLV, figs. 2, 3.) 



1862. Philichthys xiphix Steenstrup. (126) p. 295, pi. ii. 



1864. Philichthys xiphix Bergsoe. (17) p. 87. pi. 13. 



1877. Philichthys xiphix C. Vogt. (142) p. 29. pi. ii, figs. 13-15. 



Female. Body elongated and somewhat tumid, and 

 having a rugged or coarse appearance ; consisting of 

 numerous segments and furnished with many append- 

 ages which vary in shape and size. Anterior portion 

 of the cephalothorax consisting of three small seg- 

 ments, the one in front being extremely minute ; a 

 minute median eye-spot present on the dorsum of the 

 second segment and a mouth-aperture beneath ; the 

 body immediately posterior to this front portion of the 

 cephalothorax becoming more tumid and expanding 

 equally on each side so as to form a nearly circular 

 disc, the width of which is fully more than a third of 

 the entire length ; the remaining portion of the body 

 for the most part subcylindrical and composed of 

 numerous annulations, the penultimate segment small 

 and only about half the width of the preceding one ; the 

 anal segment broadly subtriangular and with two 

 small knobs on the dorsal aspect, one on each side 

 of the median line, and a blunt-pointed, finger-like 

 process extending backwards from the middle of the 

 posterior margin. Genital segment the sixth from the 

 posterior end. 



Body furnished with about fifteen appendages on each 

 side, a few ventral but most of them lateral and all soft 

 and uniarticulate, those on the posterior half of the 

 body more or less incurved and hook-like. Egg-strings 

 tolerably elongated and thick, attached to the genital 

 orifices by the middle, extending forward as well as 

 backward along the ventral aspect, and enclosed and 

 supported by the curved lateral and ventral processes ; 

 the egg- strings not extending beyond the posterior end 

 of the body. Colour pale purple, consisting of numerous 

 minute purple spots on a white ground. Length 

 varying from 6 to 36 mm. (Bergsoe.) 



