ART. 5. XORTH AMERICAN PARASITIC COPEPODS WILSON. 89 



fourth legs in the female, the fusion of the entire thorax with the 

 genital segment in the male and the soft lateral processes on the 

 sides of the free thorax segments in the female. 



Genus VENTRICULINA Bassett- Smith. 



VentrmiUtia Bassett-Smith, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, vol. 1, 1903, p. 

 106, text fig. 12. 



Generic characters of female. — Head fused with the first thorax 

 segment; second, third, and fourth segments free, fifth and genital 

 segments fused, but the fusion indicated by marginal incisions. 

 Abdomen two- jointed with filiform anal laminae. Egg cases long and 

 coiled, eggs uniseriate and well flattened. First antennae four- 

 jointed, nonsetose; second pair three-jointed, setose but not uncinate; 

 maxillipeds armed with stout prehensile claws. First legs biramose, 

 rami two-jointed; second and third legs uniramose, rami one-jointed; 

 fourth and fifth legs lacking. Male unknown. 



Type of the genus. — V entrlculina crosslandl^ monotypic. 



Remarks. — Like the preceding genus this one has never been seen 

 or mentioned by any investigator except Bassett-Smith. Its chief 

 characteristics are the lack of the posterior swimming legs, the 

 uniform diameter of the thorax, and the fact that the second antennae 

 are nonprehensile. Bassett-Smith's statement given above, that the 

 abdomen is two- jointed is open to doubt, and the coiling of the e:gg 

 tubes might well have been the result of placing the specimens in 

 alcohol. 



It is worthy of note that the host is not a fish but a sipunculid 

 from the coast of Zanzibar. 



