138 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL, I28 



the body was green from the internal organs (not from eggs showing 

 through). It is new to Arctic Alaska. 



One of the most interesting worms was the syllid Autolyhis fallax 

 Malmgren, which ranged in length from 3 to i8 mm. The asexual or 

 stem form was taken throughout the season of open water, sometimes 

 on hydroids, bryozoans, or rocks, but often in tubes extending length- 

 wise along the hydroid Lafoeina maxima. In the asexual form the 

 anterior portion of the worm was pale yellowish, with two dorsolateral 

 longitudinal dark bands, and the posterior portion was orange. The 

 female sacconereis stages bearing egg sacs were taken through the 

 ice from January 25 to May 17, 1950, On March 29, 1950, there 

 were hundreds of these worms, with egg sacs, swimming in the water 

 at the 80-foot plankton hole and on April 7, 1950 (1.9 miles from 

 shore) when the slush ice was removed from a 4-foot-wide lead, 

 hundreds were welling up and swimming around. The worms were 

 about 10 mm. long and the egg sacs 2.5 mm. long. Depending on the 

 stage of development of the embryos, the egg sacs varied from a 

 bright tan through flesh to a deep coral. The eggs contained enough 

 yolk for the embryos to develop into small worms while still inside the 

 sac. An occasional worm with two egg sacs was found. The manner 

 in which these eggs become fertilized is not known. 



Two other species of Autolytus — A. prismaticus (O. Fabricius) and 

 A. alexandri Malmgren — not reported previously from Arctic Alaska, 

 were taken, the former from Eluitkak Pass and from depths of 125, 

 175, 184, and 420 feet; the latter from depths of 100 to 741 feet. 

 They are often found among hydroids and bryozoans. 



The unusually large numbers of the species of Autolytus collected 

 provided forms and sufficient material to enable Dr. Pettibone to 

 clear up much of the confusion connected with the taxonomy of this 

 group. (See "Reproduction Phenomena.") 



Another abundant syllid, Eusyllis blomstrandi Malmgren, was taken 

 at Eluitkak Pass and at depths of 80 to 741 feet, with the larger 

 yields at Eluitkak Pass, 125, 140, and 175 feet. This luminescent 

 species was common on hydroids, bryozoans, and masses of barnacles. 

 The bluish-white light that it emitted when first brought to the labora- 

 tory aided materially in finding this small syllid, from 12 to 18 mm. 

 long, among the growth on stones. This species is flesh-colored in 

 life, with brownish-red eyes, and in an occasional individual there was 

 a white stripe down the middle of the back. It is new to Arctic Alaska. 



Other syllids new to Arctic Alaska were collected : Eusyllis mag- 

 niflca (Moore) at no feet (September 16, 1948), both atokous and 

 epitokous forms; Exogone dispar (Webster), 217 and 420 feet; E. 



