Clare Island Survey — Archiannelida and Polychaeta. 47 89 



Distribution. — Great Britain ; Arctic; Scandinavia; North Sea ; France 

 Mediterranean ; eastern North America ; ' California ; South Africa, 



Ephesia peripatus (Claparede). 



1911. Ephesia peripatus. Fauvel, p. 17. 



This species is not so common as E. gracilis. It is, as a rule, considerably 

 smaller than that species. A mature female, 7'5 mm. long, was taken at 

 midnight, in the surface tow-net, in Ballynakill Harbour. It contained 40 

 large eggs, resembling those found in the species of Sphaerodorum. Mature 

 in July. 



Habitat. — Blacksod Bay — Found twice on the shore, in weeds and 



Laminaria roots. Dredged in 2fms. Clew Bay — Dredged 



in 24 fans. Ballynakill Harbour — Dredged on 2 occasions, 



in 2-8 fms. Taken once in the surface tow-net at midnight. 



Distribution. — South of England ; France ; Kara Straits ; Mediterranean. 



Sphaerodorum Claparedii Greeff. 



1S66. SpJiaerodorum Claparedii. Greeff, p. 338. l 



A number of specimens were found in Blacksod Bay and Ballynakill 

 Harbour which agree with Greeff' s species in having six rows of papillae on 

 the dorsum, and in the structure of the head. A number of differences were 

 noted, which probably result from the imperfect description of Greeff 's species. 

 Of these the chief are: — (f) There is a conspicuous median ventral papilla 

 on the anal segment, such as occurs in other species of the genus, but is not 

 mentioned or figured by Greeff. (2) There is a short cylindrical median 

 tentacle in front of the eyes. (3) Greeff states that, in addition to the 6 rows 

 of large papillae on the dorsum, there are four rows on the ventral surface. 

 In the Irish specimens there are no large papillae on the ventral surface, but 

 only the smaller papillae such as are scattered irregularly over the dorsal 

 surface. Of these there are on the ventral surface rows of 4 papillae between 

 the parapodia, alternating with rows of 6 papillae, with other smaller papillae 

 irregularly arranged. (4) The number of segments is much smaller. Greeff 

 says that there are 18 segments, of which 16 are setigerous. I found only 

 12 setigerous segments, and one mature male specimen had only 8. 



There are two reddish-brown eyes on the buccal segment. The spaces 

 between the four inner rows of dorsal papillae are less than the space between 

 the two outer rows on each side. When the stomach is everted, it carries the 

 eyes with it, and they then lie on its dorsal surface. 



1 A translation of this paper was published in The Annuls and Miigazine of Natural History (3), 

 vol. xxj 1867, p. 1. 



K.I. A. PKOC, VOL. XXXI. M 47 



