Very little is known about the eucoelomate phylum

Priapuiida, which arc marine vermiform cylindrical

organisms attaining a length of over 12 cm with

a bulbous anterior end destitute of appendages

and with an eversible proboscis. Surface of the

body is superfic ia lly •segmented and covered with

spines

Chandramohan, P

Rao, G Syda

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Letter! 10 Ihe Editor [ CUTftUU ,Science 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. II. 12. 13 . Sgaragli, O. and Conti, M. R., Pharnwcol. Res. Camm., 1971, 3, 315. Vainio, H ' t Res. Comm. Chem. Palhol. Pharma~ col., 1974, 2, 289. Wills, E. D., Biochem. J'I 1969, 113, 333. Pawar, S. S. and Mungikar. A M., Ind. I . Biochem . Biophys., 1975, 12. 133. Patel, J, M. and Pawar, S. S., B iochem. Phtrma· col., 1974, 23, 1467. Baker, R. C., Coons, L. B. and Hodgson, E., Chem. BioI. Interactions, 1973, 6, 307. Gornall , A. 0., Bardawill, C. J. and David, M. M., 1. Bioi. Chern ., 1949, 177. 751. Ernster, L. and Nordenbrand, K ., Melh(}(;.~ En zymol., 1967, 10, 574. . Bernheim, F., Bernheim, M. L. and Wllbur, K. M., J. 8;01. GIlem., 1948, 174, 257. 0rsTHE OCCURRENCE OF PRJAPULIDS IN THE T.JTTORAL REGION OF BHIMILIPATNAM (V ······ 'PATNAM, BAY OF BENGAL) VERY little is known about the eucoelomate phylum Pr iapuiida, which arc marine vermiform cylindrical organisms attaining a length of over 12 cm with a bulbous anterior end. destit ute of appendages and with an eversible proboscis. Surface of the body is superfic ia lly ·segmented and covered with spines. Priapulids are hitherto known to occur only in the high latitudc..'i and it is agreed that they have bipolar distribution and are absent in the tropics and subtropicsl ·;I. Of late they have been reported from the Red Sea, Bermuda and Curacuo as meio-faunal components"' ·o. 1t is interesting to note that these o rga nisms wherever reported were based on a small number of specimens only, wh ilst CouI5 observed them as an important faunule constantly occurring in the meiobenthos forming 4·7 % of the tol al proport ion and ranked fourth in abundance accounting for 2% of all the meiohenthic animals collected. However. these· animals were not known from rndian Ocean excepting for the Red Sea record. In the present communication the authors report on the occurrence of priapulids for the first time from the peninsular ind ia and for the second time from Ind ian Ocean. While engaged in the studies of littoral benthOS of a backwater region at Bhirnil ipatnam about 35 kIll north of Visakhapatnam (700 44' Nand 83° 23' E ) on the cast coast of Ind ia, two priapulids ( Fig. 1) we re collected from a sediment comprising mud wi th sand, rock and shell pieces and rich in organic debris. The variation of ambient salinity ranged from 10%0 (during monsoon) to 37%. (~uring summer) and temperature from 20° to 35· C. Absence longitudinal of te~tacles, eversible proboscis with rows of papillae, superficially segmented body covered with spines, mouth associated with recurved spines are Ihe salient features of . the specimens collected. ~----3 NL--------------2 .MM FIG. l. I, Introvert partially extruded sbO-Wing tbe hooks; 2, Ventral fold ; 3, Caudal region. The present record of the occurrence of priapulids from a tropical location, further extends the ir tradi tional habit and di stribution into the tropical Ind ian Ocean region. Thus the hitherto a ccepted bipolar distribution of these o rganisms appea~ to be no more valid. One of us (GSR) is thankful to the CSIR, New Delhi, for awarding a feIlowship. We are thank-ful to Prof. K. Hanumantha Rao for providing tbe necessary facilities. D~partmen t of Zoology, G. SYOA RAo. Andhra University, P . CHANDRA MOHA N. Waltair, September 18, 1975. 1. Baltzer, V. F., HOlldbuch Der Zoologie II (9) (Walter De Gruyter and Co.), 1931. 2. Sbapeero, W. L. , Science, 1961, 133 (2345), 879. 3. -, A mer. M idland. Nat., 1962, 68, 237. 4. Remane, A., ''The systematic position and phylogeny of pscudocoelomates," in E. C . Dougherty el 01., ed., The Lower M etazoa, Compo BioJ. Phylo., ·Univ. Calif. Br. Berkeley. 1963, p. 247. 5. Coul, B. c., Thesis, Lehigh. Univ., 1968. 6. Van der Land. I ., Zoologishe. Medeoilimgell., 1968, 42 (22), 237. 

On the occurrence of priapulids in the littoral region of Bhimilipatnam (Vishakhapatnam, Bay of Bengal)

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On the occurrence of priapulids in the littoral region of Bhimilipatnam (Vishakhapatnam, Bay of Bengal)

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