The Rotatorian Genus Diaschiza. 137 



The jaws are elementary ; the manubria straight, thin, and 

 rod-shaped, with a slight thickening at the end, but not a crutch. 

 The incus is straight, also ending in a slight club. 



It feeds on flocculent matter, and is fond of swimming freely. 



Size. — Total length T^-yin. (194 /x) ; toes alone T ^y in. (36 /a) ; 

 width To -^ in. (36 fi); height -q^q in. (42 /a). 



Bare. Examples from Dundee, and Knowsley, Lancashire. 



Diaschiza eva Gosse. 

 PI. III. figs. 8, 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d, Be. 



Synonymy. 

 Furcularia eva Gosse. 



„ semisetifera Glascott. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY. 



Gosse, P. H. — Twenty-four more new Species of Eotif. Journ. Hoy. Micr. 



Soc, 1887, p. 861. 

 Hudson ife Gosse. — The Kotifera. London, 1889, Suppl., p. 26, pi. 31, fig. 17. 

 Glascott, Miss L. S. — A list of some of the Kotif. of Ireland. Sci. Proc. 



Koy. Dublin Soc, viii. 1893 (n.s.) p. 55, pi. 4, figs. 2 and 2a. 



Spec. Char. — Body long, laterally compressed ; head slightly 

 rounded in front ; face sub-prone ; corona extending slightly down 

 the ventral side ; neck strongly marked ; lorica flexible ; dorsal 

 cleft narrow, well marked ; lateral cleft narrow, well marked ; eye 

 absent ; foot thick ; toes about \ length of rest of body, furcate, 

 very wide apart at base, very broad, tapering suddenly to a long, 

 fine, curved, threadlike point. 



We have been exceedingly fortunate in finding large quantities 

 of this most interesting and beautiful species, and have no doubt 

 whatever that Gosse's description was made from a dying example, 

 when the soft lorica often distorts into a prominent elevation on 

 the shoulder, as described and drawn by him. 



Owing to the well-marked dorsal and lateral clefts, and the 

 setse on the foot, we have no hesitation in transferring this species 

 to the genus Diaschiza. 



This rotifer is beautifully hyaline and glossy. It varies much 

 in size and shape, the flexibility of the lorica enabling it to throw 

 itself into all sorts of contortions. 



When swimming freely many specimens, viewed dorsally, look 

 exceedingly narrow. The greatest care has been taken in making 

 the drawings to represent as nearly as possible the normal shape 

 and attitude. 



The toes are the most distinguishing feature of this species. 



In spite of great variation in shape, length, and style, they are 

 •always strikingly distinct from those of any other species, in every 



