[From Introduction:]
The commonest representative of the family Spionidae, of the genus
Boccardia, occurring in the intertidal zones of California, remains unnamed and undescribed. This species is of interest not only because it occurs in abundance in the littoral zones where it is readily available but also because of several biological features, which may warrant more thorough investigation.
My attention was first called to this species several years ago, when I was a member of Prof. S. F. Light's courses in invertebrate zoology at the University of California. At that time its designation was questionable, and after a perusal of the literature I (Univ. California Publ. Zool. 41 : 48. 1936) referred it to
Boccardia natrix (Söderström) without, however, consulting Söderström's type materials. Since then the species has been noted many times along the coast of California. At the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, through the courtesy of Dr. Martin W. Johnson, it was possible to observe it also as an element in the plankton and to maintain adults and larvae under laboratory conditions.