432 



FISHERY BULLETIN OF THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



from the stomach of a fish caught at 160 to 200 

 meters depth near Tortugas. 



Suborder Cladocopa 



Family POLYCOPIDAE 

 Polycope orbicularis Sars, 1866 



The genus Polycope is easily distinguished by 

 the almost completely circular form of the shells 

 which are smooth and glistening, without hairs. 

 Shells of this species were taken in bottom samples 

 at depths of between 128 and 1,867 meters in the 

 northwest portion of the Gulf southeast of Atcha- 

 falaya Bay. The distribution of this species 

 includes the coast of Norway, Franz Joseph Land, 

 Cape of Good Hope, and the North Atlantic. 



Suborder Platycopa 



Family CYTHERELLIDAE 

 Cytherella lata Brady, 1880 



The internal anatomy of species belonging to 

 this genus, which is the only genus in the suborder, 

 is entirely unlike that of any other member of the 

 Ostracoda group. Both pairs of antennae are 

 powerfully developed and can be extended in 

 front but are not used as swimming organs as in 

 other Ostracoda. The posterior antennae are 

 broad and flattened and resemble the appendages 

 of Copepoda. The present species, C. lata, was 

 reported from empty shells at depths ranging 

 from 46 to 1,720 meters in various locations in 

 the northwest region of the Gulf, from Brownsville 

 to Atchafalaya Bay. It has also been reported 

 from the West Indies, the Azores, the coast of 

 Brazil, the Banda Sea, and Torres Straits in the 

 East Indies. 



Cytherella polita Brady, 1869 



This species, first reported from Haiti and Cuba 

 by Brady some 80 years ago, has been recently 

 reported by Rothwell from several locations in the 

 northwest part of the Gulf off Galveston and 

 west of Atchafalaya Bay in comparatively shallow 

 water (29-132 meters). The distribution of this 

 ostracod includes the Arabian Sea, New Zealand, 

 and the coast of South America near the Rio de 

 la Plata. 



Cytherella obtusata (Muller, 1912) 



Shells of this species were reported in water at 

 depths of from 43 to 198 meters off the coast of 

 the northwest portion of the Gulf from Mata- 



gorda Bay to near Atchafalaya Bay. It was 

 originally reported by Brady as C. truncata in the 

 Caribbean off Colon (1869) and has since then 

 been taken in Torres Straits. 



Suborder PODOCOPA 



Family CYPRIDAE 

 Pontocypris subreniformis Brady, 1880 



Shells of this bottom form were taken m 1,600 

 meters off Brownsville and in 29 meters just west 

 of Atchafalaya Bay. It has also been reported 

 from the coasts of South Africa, Australia, Nor- 

 way, and from the Arabian Sea. 



Pontocypris trigonella Sars, 1866 



Shells were found by Rothwell in samples 

 taken at several places in the northwest sector 

 of the Gulf at depths ranging from 190 to 1,417 

 meters. Its distribution includes the coasts of 

 Norway, England, Haiti, Bermuda, and the Gulf 

 of Guinea. 



Pontocypris intermedia Brady, 1868 



Five males belonging to this species were taken 

 in an otter trawl in 20 to 22 meters of water oS 

 Tortugas. It has been reported from the Medi- 

 terranean as well. 



Argilloecia cylindrica Sars, 1865 



Specimens with internal body parts intact were 

 taken by Rothwell at a depth of 44 meters oflF 

 Brownsville, and shells were secured in the bottom 

 samples at depths down to 823 meters in the sector 

 of the Gulf between Brownsville and Galveston. 

 This form is also well-known from the Norwegian 

 coast, the North Atlantic, and the Mediterranean. 



Macrocypris decora (Brady, 1865) 



The large, usually whitish species of the genus 

 Macrocypris are strictly bottom dwellers, being 

 entirely devoid of swimming powers. Wliile the 

 actual shape of the shell varies with the species, 

 they all have the characteristic elongated body 

 with white glistening valves. M. decora was col- 

 lected, with body structure intact, by Rothwell 

 at a depth of 155 meters off Trinity Shoal west of 

 Atchafalaya Bay. Shells of this species were 

 taken at several places in the sector between 

 Matagorda and Atchafalaya Bays at depths be- 

 tween 68 and 210 meters. This species appears 



