OF THE EUPLOTINA. 645 



truncate behind. Cilia on ventral sur- 

 face short, longer before and behind; 

 it swims rather actively, revolving at the 



same time -, sometimes it crawls. 1-240' 

 1-180". 



FAMILY XII.— EUPLOTINA or EUPLOTA. 

 (XXY. 345-353; XXVI. 22, 30). 



Loricated ; alimentary canal with two separate orifices, neither of which 

 is terminal. Organs of locomotion highly developed, similar to those of the 

 preceding family. 



This family bears a general resemblance to the genus Asellus among the 

 highly- developed Entomostraca. Organs subservient to nutrition are di- 

 stinctly seen in thi^ee genera ; and one is remarkable by having a cylinder of 

 wand-like teeth, and a beautiful rose-coloured digestive juice, like that seen in 

 Nassida. Granules and a nucleus are found in two, and a contractile vesicle 

 in three species; self-division, transverse and longitudinal, has been ob- 

 seiTed in one ; but gemmae are not produced. One form is green, the others 

 are colourless or whitish. This family comjDrises the following genera : — 



With cilia ; 

 no styles. 



Teetli 

 absent 



( T^pf ii f Head distinguished from the body Discocephalus. 



Head not distinguished from the body Himantophorus. 



^ Teeth present Chlamidodon. 



With cilia, claws, and styles Euplotes. 



This family Euplotina corresponds in part with that of the Ploesconiens 

 of Dujardin, which includes animalcules of an oval or renifonn depressed 

 figure, not contractile, but only slightly flexible, and invested with an appa- 

 rent shield (lorica), which, however, undergoes diffluence like the softer 

 parts. Mouth furnished with \ibratile cilia, and often also with cuThi, in 

 the form of styles or moveable hooks. They swim by means of the ^ibratile 

 ciha, or crawl by the aid of the other appendages. 



The Ploesconiens are distributed into five genera : — Plcesconia and Chlami- 

 dodon, with a visible mouth, the latter also having teeth ; Dioplirys and Coc- 

 cudina, without \isible mouth: in the former the cirrhi or processes are grouped 

 at the two ends, in the latter they cover the under surface ; Loxodes has only 

 vibratile ciha. 



The animalcules of the genus Plcesconia seem for the most part identical 

 with the Eujjlotes of Ehrenberg ; but, as the identification is in some cases 

 uncertain, and as several new species are described by Dujardin, we shall 

 subjoin Plcesconia, as an appended genus, along with Dioplirys and Coccudina. 



Perty adopts the family Euplota, which he prefers to call Euplotina, and 

 also comprehends in it the Aspidiseina (Ehr.) and the Ploesconiens (Duj.). 

 Its genera are — Euplotes, Himantophorus, Coccudina (Duj.), w[iA Aspidisca. 



Genus DISCOCEPHALUS (XXY. 345, 346).— Styles and teeth wanting, 

 but uncini present ; the head is also distinguishable from the body. The 

 organization is unknown, only the non-vibratile uncinated locomotive organs 

 having been specially observed, the characteristic species having been only 

 casually examined by Ehrenberg during his travels in the East. The genus, 

 therefore, must be held a doubtful member of this familv. 



