366 Annals of the South African Museum. 



to Baker's var. bispinosa. The differences lie in the extra tooth on 

 the 1st joint of the 1st antenna, the bifid lateral lobes of the telsonic 

 apex, and the less widely separated processes on pleou segment 4. 

 None of these appear to me to be sufficiently important as specific 

 characters to separate tripartite!, from tuberculosa. But I have thought 

 it useful to retain the former name as a varietal name to indicate the 

 difference in position of the processes, which is the most noticeable 

 feature. 



It seems quite possible, even probable, that when a larger series 

 is available the typical form will be found to be the not fully adult 

 stage of bispinosa, in spite of Baker's opinion. The only valid variety 

 will then be tripartita. 



CYMODOCE JAPONICA Rich. var. NATALENSIS n. 

 (Plate XVI. Figs. 1, 2.) 



1906. Cymodoce japonica, Richardson, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. vol. 31 



[190 7], p. 7, fig. 11 (male). 



1906. offinis, id. ibid. p. 11, fig. 15 (female). 



1910. japonica id. ibid. vol. 37, p. 92. 

 1910. id. Wash. Bur. Fish. Doc. 736, p. 28. 



1910. Thielemann, Abh. Bay. Ak. Wiss. II, Suppl. 



Bd. 3 Abh. p. 58, figs. 48-51. 



Besides C. japonica and C. affinis Miss Richardson is also the 

 authoress of C. acuta (1904, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. vol. 27, p. 38, 

 figs. 8-10, Japan), and has had the opportunity of comparing the 

 actual specimens. When uniting affinis with ja.ponica in 1910 

 Miss Richardson expressed the opinion that acuta, though very much 

 like the $ of japonica (i.e. affinis}, is the $ of an unknown $ 

 probably similar to japonica. 



Were it not for this expresion of opinion, I should unhesitatingly 

 have made both japonica and affinis synonyms of the earlier acuta. 

 From the figures and descriptions no differences can be observed 

 between acuta and affinis except the presence of 2 points on the 

 4th pleon segment in the former and their absence in the latter. 

 These, however, may have been so poorly developed as to have been 

 overlooked (cf. remarks by Thielemann, I.e. p. 56). 



C. acuta is about 10 mm. in length, affinis and japonica 17| mm. 

 A " small specimen " of a <$ is doubtfully referred to this species 

 (1910, I.e. p. 92), distinguished by longer uropods and the thick (sic) 

 hairs on the body. 



In comparison with these the South African specimens are almost 



