ACHOLOE ASTEKICOLA. 397 



Aoholoe astericola, Belle Ghiaje, 1823. 



Specific Characters. — Head somewhat elongated from before backward, with four- 

 large equidistant eyes — all visible from the dorsum. Anterior peaks absent or indistinct, 

 the head running into the bases of the lateral tentacles. Median tentacle of moderate 

 length, subulate, with a very few clavate cilia. Similar cilia occur on the short lateral 

 tentacles. The palpi are smooth and rather short. Body sublinear, flattened, segments 

 numerous and of a peach-blossom or flesh colour. Segmental eminence, but no distinct 

 papilla. Scales forty-five pairs, rounded or ovate, smooth, with a very few minute 

 papillaB at the anterior and inner border. The feet are somewhat short, the dorsal 

 division minute, the ventral bevelled from below upward. In the cirrigerous feet a 

 T-shaped branchial process. Dorsal bristles few and small, gently curved and tapered, 

 with a minute hook at the tip, which is smooth. The spinous region is short, and the 

 spines minute. The ventral bristles have long and strong shafts, a slight dilatation at 

 the commencement of the very short spinous region, and a smooth boldly marked sharp 

 terminal hook. Dorsal cirri somewhat short, tapered, and with a very few clavate cilia. 

 The ventral cirri are short, smooth, subulate, and tapering. 



Synonyms. 



1823. Nereis squamosa, Delle Chiaje. Mem. s. g. Anim., ii, pp. 368, 400, 425, Tav. 19, f. 7. 



1841. Polynoe astericola, idem. Descriz. e notom., v, 57, 106, Tav. 129, f. 7. 



1855. „ malleata, Grube. Arcliiv f. Xaturges., Bd. xxi, 81, Taf. iii, f. 1. 



1857. „ astericola, Sars. Bid. til Kundsk. om Middelhav. Littoral-Fauna, Christiania, 



p. 104. 

 1865. „ asterinse, Carrington. Proceed. Lit. and Phil. Soc., Manchester, iv, p. 176. 

 1870. Acholoe astericola, Claparede. Suppl. Ann. Chet., Nap. (sep. copy), 18, pi. ii, f. 1. 



1875. „ ,, Marenzeller. Sitzb. der k. Akad. (sep. Ahd.), 14. 



„ „ ,, Panceri. Atti Accad. Sc. Napoli, vol. vii, p. 13, Tav. 3, f. 3 — 5. 



1876. „ ,, Mcintosh. Trans. Z. Soc, ix, 389, pi. lxx, f. 11, 12. 

 1884. „ ,, Y. Cams. Fauna Medit., 202. 



1891. „ „ Hornell. Op. cit., p. 236. 



Habitat. — It was first procured in Britain by the late Dr. Carrington on Southport 

 Sands clinging to Astropecten irregularis ; while Prof. Percival Wright got it at Galway. 

 Abroad it ranges to the Mediterranean, occurring on various star-fishes of the genus 

 mentioned. 



The head (Plate XXVII, fig. 17) is somewhat elongated from before backward in 

 the softened preparations, of a roseate hue from the ganglia, and Claparede shows four 

 large equidistant eyes — all visible from the dorsum. 1 The anterior peaks are absent or 

 very indistinct, the head on each side running into the base of the lateral tentacles, while 

 in front of the median groove is the base of the median tentacle. The trilobed processes 



1 The eyes had disappeared from the rather softened preparations which represented the species. 

 For these I am indebted to the late Dr. Carrington, of Eccles, near Manchester. 



