50 BPHESIA PERIPATUS. 



distinctions between E. gracilis and E. peripatus, and that the entry of some of the 

 synonyms may be open to criticism. 



Habits. — It crawls with moderate activity, and occasionally twists itself in screw- 

 coils. It probably lives in crevices of shells and similar places and often on a muddy 

 bottom. A young form ($. Greejfi) was found by Griard as a commensal of Ophiocoma 

 neglecta at Wimereux. 1 It was also dredged in the ' Porcupine ' at the considerable depth 

 of 1214 metres. 



Reproduction. — Females were laden with large ova in July. 



Young examples about 6 mm. long, but with numerous segments, occurred in the 

 bottom-net off the Bell Pock in August, along with numerous young Polynoids. 



Ehlers describes a pelagic young form with thirteen bristled segments from the 

 Antarctic Sea. The body at this stage forms a long ellipse. 



H. Rathke (1843), in describing in his ' Fauna Norwegens ' this form for the first 

 time, considered that it approached Goniada under the family of the Nereids. His 

 description and figures are, on the whole, good, though his examples w^ere small, viz. ten 

 lines. His drawing of the posterior end, however, is imperfect, and the papilla on the 

 tip of each " mamilla " is too large, but he gave a correct outline of the type of bristle. 

 He did not notice the eye-specks. 



(Ersted (1843) constituted the genus Sphserodorum for this species — his S. flavum — 

 very shortly after Rathke's announcement. His description is satisfactory so far as it goes. 



In his sketch of the classification of the Polychaeta, Grube (1851) entered this form 

 under two names, viz. Ephesia gracilis and Sphserodorum flavum, placing them between 

 Poly dor a and Aonis. 



Daly ell (1853) evidently refers to this species as Nereis bullata, his description and 

 figures leaving no room for doubt : though the enlarged figure is too dark in colour, and 

 thus differs from his description " universally yellow." 



Kolliker (1864) in his < Kurzer Bericht' described the coiled glands of the dorsal 

 papilla^ and he pointed out that the ovoid swellings of Claparede on the nerve-cords were 

 the ganglia themselves. 



Dr. Johnston (1865) entered this form in his catalogue of the worms in the British 

 Museum between the Ariciida3 and the Cirratulidse. He retained Rathke's generic title, 

 but used Sphserodorum for his S. peripatus. 



A full account of the anatomy of this species has recently been given by Ruderman 2 

 (1911) with illustrative figures in the text. The minute structure of the glands and seg- 

 mental organs received careful attention. 



2. Ephesia peripatus, Claparede, 1863. Plate CUT, fig. 10— bristle. 



Specific Characters.— Read with two pairs of slender tentacles slightly clavate at the 

 tip, a series of minute papilla occurring between them Eyes four, on the second segment ; 

 anterior pair with lenses. Body about two inches long. It terminates in two globular 

 dorsal cirri and an unpaired ventral cirrus beneath (Claparede). Foot with a globular 



1 'Bull. Sc. France et Belgique/ 1890, p. 60; and Giard. < CEuvres Diverses/ 1913, p. 56. 



2 f Mem. Soc. Zool. France/ t. xxiv, pp. 1—96, 1 pi. 



