The Life History of the Polychaetous Annelid Neanthes caudata 
(delle Chiaje), Including a Summary of Development in the 
Family Nereidae 1 
Donald J. Reish 2 
The study of reproduction, development, 
and life history of the polychaete family 
Nereidae has attracted considerable attention 
in the past. Stimulus for this interest un- 
doubtably is due, in part, to the world-wide 
distribution of the family, the phenomenon 
of epitoky ( = heteronereis), and the diverse 
reproductive patterns. A total of 20 species 
of nereids has been studied in the past; in- 
formation about them has been summarized 
in Table 1. Reproduction and development of 
Neanthes caudata have been studied pre- 
viously by Herpin (1923, 1924, 1926) at 
Cherbourg, France. He reared this species 
through the 24-segmented stage. 
This is the first report of the species in the 
Pacific Ocean. Fauvel (1923) stated that it 
inhabited muddy and sandy bottoms in 
Europe, and recently Day (1953) reported it 
from South Africa. The first specimens from 
the Pacific were encountered in a suspended 
sediment bottle collector (adapted from Thor- 
son, 1946) which had been exposed for a 28 
day interval in the West Basin of Los Angeles 
1 Contribution number 189 from the Allan Hancock 
Foundation. This investigation was supported in part 
by a research grant [RG-4375-(C)] from the National 
Microbiological Institute, National Institutes of Health, 
Public Health Service. 
2 Department of Biology and the Allan Hancock 
Foundation, University of Southern California. Manu- 
script received February 9, 1956. 
Harbor in November-December 1953. Quan- 
titative bottom surveys of Los Angeles- 
Long Beach Harbors were made during Au- 
gust 1951 (Anon., 1952), and again in January 
1954, but N. caudata was not taken. However, 
N. caudata was taken at many stations in both 
harbors in the surveys made in June and 
November 1954. It is believed to have been 
recently introduced into the harbor, possibly 
by ships. 
MATERIALS AND METHODS 
Culture Techniques 
Living specimens were collected from sedi- 
ment bottle collectors suspended for 28 days 
in the West Basin of Los Angeles Harbor. 
The techniques employed for culturing adults 
are in general similar to those utilized by the 
author for the adults of Nereis gruhei (Kin- 
berg) (Reish, 1953; 1954). Best results were 
obtained when the worms were placed in 
separate petri dishes. The worms were fed 
Enteromorpha sp., usually twice a week. This 
green alga was collected in quantities from 
estuaries in southern California. This alga was 
dried, and, prior to using, a small amount was 
soaked in sea water for a few minutes. Mud 
and sand, that had previously been dried, 
were substituted for Enteromorpha sp. with 
some success, but the use of the alga was 
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