34 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM 



cajpsula Norman, they were found to be identical and, therefore, S. 

 levis has been placed in synonymy with S. capsula. 



Misidentifications of Sars (1888) and Miiller (1894) are under- 

 standable considering the unillustrated description of Norman 

 (1869), which could include many extant sarsiellids. Actually 

 Miiller (1894) prefaced his jS. capsula identification with a "?" but 

 this was omitted in his synoptic work in 1912. Both males and 

 females of S. capsula and S. levis were described and illustrated by 

 Miiller (1894). 



Brady and Norman (1896) established the genus Nematohamma 

 to receive their new species N. obliqua, which was based on males 

 collected off Valentia and Birterbuy Bay, Ireland. Nematohamma 

 obliqua was placed in synonomy with ^S. levis Miiller by Miiller 

 (1912). As previously stated, S. levis is a synonym of S. capsula 

 Norman; therefore, A^. obliqua is also a synonym of S. capsula Norman. 

 1 have compared carapaces of of S. capsula Norman from the Shet- 

 land Islands and Valentia with the carapace of a specimen of N. 

 obliqua from Valentia (Norman Collection, British Museum) and 

 find that they are indeed conspecific. A carapace of A^. obliqua 

 from off Valentia (from sUde 1911.11.8, M3989, British Museum) is 

 illustrated in plate Se. 



Material. — Information concerning specimens examined is as 

 follows : 



contents of label {location of material) 

 1911.11.8, M3986; Sarsiella cap- 

 sula Norman, Madeira, off 

 Praia Bay, 50 fathoms, A.M.N. 

 1897 [British Museum] 



1911.11.8, M3985; Sarsiella cap- 

 sula Norman, Types, Shetland 

 1863 & Valentia 1870 [British 

 Museum] 



1911.11.8, 37013; Sarsiella capsula 

 Norman, Birterbuy Bay, Ire- 

 land, 1874 [British Museum] 



remarks 



A dry slide containing a left and right 

 valve. Absence of a posterodorsal 

 prominence indicates it is not con- 

 specific with *S. capsula Norman but 

 is probably a new species. Occur- 

 rence of the species off Madeira was 

 reported in Brady (1911). 



Specimens in this dry slide are illus- 

 trated in figures 16a-d. The back 

 of the slide contains these notations: 

 "a, 10 miles oflf Balta, Shetland 73 

 fathoms; b. off Valentia, 112 fath- 

 oms." These data do not agree 

 with locality and depth information 

 for Shetland given in Norman (1869, 

 p. 293). The date (1863) does not 

 agree with the date of 1869 given 

 by Brady and Norman (1896). 



A vial containing a whole specimen 

 preserved in preservative. 



