14S PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OP [1879. 



DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES OF CHIROCEPHALUS. 

 BY JOHN A. RYDER. 



The genus Ghirocephalus does not seem to have been noticed 

 up to the present time in North America; 1 therefore take much 

 pleasure in announcing the discovery of a hitherto undescribed 

 species of the genus in the vicinity of Woodbury, New Jersej', 

 where it was found in abundance in the ditches by Mr. AY. P. Seal, 

 a resident of the place, and an indefatigable collector of the minute 

 life of his neighborhood. 



The genus, as characterized by Dr. Wm. Baird, 1 has been found 

 in Switzerland, France, England, Russia, and Siberia. The species 

 C. lacunae, most nearly like the one I am about to describe, is 

 figured and described by Guerin in his Iconog. Regne Animate, as 

 being found at Fontainebleau, France. The differences between 

 our species and Guerin's are, however, sufficiently striking and 

 constant to characterize a well-marked specific type, and I accord- 

 ingly propose the following specific characterization of the Ameri- 

 can form. 



Chirocephalus holmanii, nov. sp. 



Char, specif. Claspers moderately robust ; second joint forked, 

 longest branch longer than first joint, and curved inwards, its tip 

 crossing that of its fellow of the opposite side when in repose ; 

 shorter branch less curved, slightly swollen, and rough on the 

 inner surface of its tip, about half as long as the longer branch. 

 Two long fleshy proboscis-like prehensile organs arise from the 

 bases of the claspers and are coiled up between the latter; mus- 

 cular fibres pass throughout their length; near their origin and 

 for the first third they are expanded inferiorly into a thin margin 

 with about seven papilliform processes; they then gradually con- 

 tract, becoming cylindrical at their second third, where about 

 seven well-marked digitiform processes are found, the longest of 

 which are about as long as twice the diameter of the proboscis at 

 this point; the remaining third gradually contracts, and is thickly 

 studded with half rings of small papillae which seem to mark 



1 Monograph of the Family Branchipodidse, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., 

 2d ser., vol. xiv., 1854, p. 216-229. 



