AMPHICARYON ACAULE. 



195 



The type of the subfamily, and indeed its only undoubted representative, is 

 Amphicaryon, described by Chun ('88) from the Canary Islands. As a second 

 member Chun ('97b) lists Mitrophyes Haeckel. Schneider ('98) has made the 

 latter a sjTionym of Amphicaryon; and although Haeckel's figure shows a long 

 stem and a very remarkable hydroecium, the undoubted resemblance between 

 the two, and the fact that both were taken at the same locality, supports 

 Schneider's view. 



AMPHICARYON Chun, 1888. 



So far as I can learn, Amphicaryon has never been definitely recorded since 

 described by Chun ('88, p. 1162). The several specimens in the "Albatross" 

 collection and two examples from the West Indies are therefore of unusual 

 interest. 



The genus may be defined as Prayidae with two nectophores of very unequal 

 size, the older one degenerating, so that in the adult, at least, the younger is 

 much the larger; nectosac of the older nectophore much reduced; stem very 

 short. 



Chun's ('88) description of A. acaule, unfortunately not figured, is so brief 

 that I should have been in some doubt whether or not the present Pacific speci- 

 mens are identical with it, were it not that they agree very closely with a West 

 Indian specimen which I have studied. 



Amphicaryon acaule Chun. 

 Plate 4, figs. 1-8. 



Amphicaryon acaule Chun, '88, p. 1162. 



? Mitrophyes peliifera Haeckel, '88a, p. 34; '88b, p. 131, pi. 28; Chun, '97b, p. 102. 



Station 4613 300 fathoms to surface 1 specimen. 



4638 



4676 



4683 



4701 



4705 



4732 



The largest specimen is 9 mm., the smallest 3 mm. in le^igth. All are well 

 preserved. In the larger specimens the two nectophores are very unequal in 

 size. The larger are rounded, higher than broad, ventrally concave, its ventro- 

 lateral edges partly enclosing the other much smaller flattened bract-like necto- 

 phore. In the largest specimens of A. acaule, 15 mm. in height, according to 



