A New Echiuroid Worm from the Hawaiian Islands and a Key to the 
Genera of Echiuridae 1 
Walter K. Fisher 2 
Since echiuroid worms and their eggs pro¬ 
vide excellent material for biological experi¬ 
mentation, it is regrettable that the principal 
Hawaiian species is without a name. This paper 
is intended to supply the deficiency. 
I collected the type series in 1902, during the 
Hawaiian cruise of the "Albatross,” in tide 
pools on the reef between Honolulu harbor and 
Waikiki. The material was sent to the late 
Professor H. B. Ward and only recently became 
available for study. A long sojourn in weak 
alcohol has caused deterioration of the speci¬ 
mens. 
Genus Anelassorhynchus Annandale 
Anelassorhynchus Annandale, 1922: 148. Type, 
Thalassema branchiorhynchus Annandale and 
Kemp. 
Diagnosis: Resembling Thalassema s.s. in 
having the longitudinal muscle layer of the body 
of uniform thickness, without specialized longi¬ 
tudinal bands, but differing in having prolonged, 
often coiled, lips to the ciliated funnel of the 
nephridium. 
The group contains about twelve species 
from warm, shallow waters with the exception 
of an undescribed species from off Monterey 
Bay, California, 1083 fathoms, bottom temper¬ 
ature 38.5° F. 
Anelassorhynchus porcellus new species 
Diagnosis: Nephridia four, all behind setae; 
a very long segment of intestine between end 
1 Published with permission of the Secretary of the 
Smithsonian Institution. Manuscript received April 
13, 1948. 
2 Professor Emeritus, Stanford University, Hopkins 
Marine Station, Pacific Grove, California. 
of foregut and beginning of siphon; anal vesicles 
very long with a special basal inflated portion 
attached to body wall by muscular frenula; no 
caecum; setae small, without interbasal muscle; 
proboscis fleshy, deciduous, the two margins 
meeting at base to form lower lip; skin rather 
thick in adult, with transverse verrucae, in con¬ 
tracted state; size 30 to 70 mm. in length, the 
diameter variable. 
Description: Body wall rather thick in large 
specimens, slightly translucent in smaller ones; 
skin usually closely wrinkled transversely, so 
that the small, closely placed glandular swell¬ 
ings have a transverse alignment. In middle of 
body, owing to stretching of skin, wrinkles 
may disappear and glands flatten out so as to 
be practically indistinguishable. (It is pretty 
much a matter of accident in preservation.) 
Setae small (3 mm. long), with well-marked 
hook, placed rather close together, only a short 
distance from mouth. No interbasal muscle 
uniting inner ends of setae; basilaterals rather 
weak. 
Inner layer of muscles of body wall smooth; 
middle, longitudinal layer undifferentiated as in 
other species of the genus. 
All four nephridia behind setae, variable in 
size, sometimes greatly distended by sex prod¬ 
ucts. Lips of nephrostome prolonged and usual¬ 
ly spirally coiled. 
Deflated anal vesicles very long and character¬ 
istically swollen at base, which is attached to 
anterior side wall of cloacal cavity. Walls of 
this cavity thin and attached to body wall by 
many frenula which also involve the swollen 
basal portion of the vesicles (Fig. 1, c). In 
some specimens vesicles covered with tiny 
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