1134 THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. CHALLENGER. 



The family Tripocalpida, composed of the Archipilida and Archiperida of mj- 

 Prodromus, comprises those Cyrtoidea in which the hittice-shell is quite simple, 

 without transverse constriction, and bears three radial apophyses. The two subfamilies 

 differ in the shape of the basal mouth, which in the Archipilida is a simple wide opening, 

 in the Archiperida closed by a lattice-plate ; the former are here divided into eight, the 

 latter into seven different genera. 



Only three species of this family were hitherto described, all three belonging to the 

 Archipilida, viz., (l) Tripocalpis galea (fossil in Barbados, figured by Ehrenberg, 1875, 

 as Halicalyiitra galea), (2) Tripodisciuin campanula (fossil in Sicily, figured by Stohr, 

 1880, as Carpocanium) ; and (3) Tridictyopus elegans, of which Eichard Hertwig gave an 

 excellent description in 1879, with an accurate figure of the central capsule. All tlie 

 other species of the family (seventy) are new. 



The shell in the majority of Tripocalpida is ovate or campanulate, sometimes conical 

 or three-sided pyramidal. Three radial apophyses are constantly distinct, either three 

 lateral wings or three terminal feet ; these are usually solid spines, rarely lattice-plates. 

 The top of the shell usually bears an apical horn, rarely two or more horns ; often the 

 horn is wanting. The lattice-work of the shell is very various in the different species, and 

 often of a remarkable structure (PI. 51, figs. 6-8 ; PI. 98, figs. 4-8). The cavity of the 

 shell is in all Archipilida, and in a part of the Archiperida (Peridium, Archi^^era, 

 Archibursa) quite simple. In the other part of the Archiperida, however, constituting 

 the peculiar group of Euscenida (genera 504-507), a vertical columella arises in the 

 centre of the basal plate, and is prolonged upwards in the apical horn ; this columella is 

 either simple [Euscenium, Archiscenium) or branched {Cladoscenium, Pteroscenium) ; 

 in the latter case the ascending branches are disposed in triradiate verticils and are 

 inserted on the inner face of the shell (compare PI. 53, figs. 11-16, and PI. 98, 

 figs. 1-4). 



The jshylogenetic origin of the Tripocalpida may be very divergent, and their morpho- 

 logical affinity to the other Nassellaria is a very complicated problem. The Euscenida 

 (genera 504-507) may be derived directly from the Plagonida {Plagoniscus) or Plectanida 

 (Plectaniscus). The Archibursida (genera 508-510) however, manifest a closer aflinity 

 to the Tripospyrida, and may be derived from them by reduction of the sagittal ring and 

 constriction. In these two groups of Archiperida the shell may be regarded as a true 

 cephalis. In the Archipilida, however, wliere the shell has a wide basal opening and the 

 three radial ribs arise originally from the base of the apical horn, the shell itself may 

 correspond to the thorax of the DicjTtida, and may be derived from these by loss of the 

 cephalis. This is the more probable, as sometimes a small remnant of the reduced 

 cephalis is preserved (PI. 98, fig. 8). None of these difficult questions can be answered 

 until a much closer morphological knowledge of the Tripocalpida is acquired. 



