NO. 2286. THE NEW COPEPOD FAMILY SPHYRIIDAE— WILSON. 551 



Burmeister (1823) did not include the genus in his family " Penel- 

 lina " because he was unacquainted with any of the species, but in a 

 footnote (p. 319) he said that Sphyrion laevigatus evidently formed a 

 valid genus between Lernaea and Lernaeocera. 



Milne Edwards (1840) claimed that the genus Sphyrion was too 

 imperfectly known to be located definitely, but that it probably ought 

 to be placed between the " Penelles " and the " Lernees" (p. 525). 



Steenstrup and Liitken (1861), judging from the figures published 

 by Quoy and Gaimard, Guerin, and Cuvier, said that the genus did 

 not belong with the Lernaeidae but with the Chrondracanthidae 

 (p. 432). 



Kr03'^er (1845) found a similar species parasitic upon a lumpfish, 

 but failed to recognize that it belonged to the genus Sphyrion.^ and 

 created for it a new genus, which he called Lestes, with the species 

 lumpi (p. 217) . But the name Lestes had been used by Leach in 1817 

 for a genus of dragonflies and so Krpyer changed to the feminine 

 Lesteira in 1863 (p. 325), when he gave a more detailed description 

 of the species. This last name accordingly becomes a synonym of 

 Sphyrion. 



But Kr0yer did not agree with Steenstrup and Liitken in placing 

 the genus amongst the Chrondracanthidas ; he was rather of the 

 opinion that it belonged with the Lernaeocerans. Although his genus 

 name has become a synonym his species was valid, and these two 

 species, laevigatus and lumpi., were at first the only ones in the genus. 



In describing the Crustacea of the voyage of the Nassau, Cunning- 

 ham (1871) added a third species of Sphyrion, to which he gave the 

 name kingi (p. 501). 



Thor (1900) had an opportunity of examining more in detail Quoy 

 and Gaimard's type-specimen of Sphyrion laevigatus, but for some 

 unexplained reason he preferred to call it " laevis " instead of laeviga- 

 tus (p. 277). He also described and figured a species new to science, 

 S. australicus, and mentioned another new species, norvegicus, with- 

 out giving any figures or description. And finally Quidor (1912) 

 added a new species delagei (p. XLI), and on the following page an- 

 other new species, stewarti. He also on page XLIII described a new 

 genus and species, Tlepatophylus houvieri. This new genus, together 

 with Sphyrion, he placed in the Lernaeidae because they showed tor- 

 sion, which he claimed was exhibited nowhere outside of that family. 

 Bassett-Smith (1899) in his systematic Review of Parasitic Copepods 

 (p. 489), and Stebbing (1900) in his South African Crustacea (p. 

 60), changed the gender of the specific name to agree with that of 

 the genus, making it laemgatum. 



In 1853 Kolliker created a new genus of parasitic copepods to 

 which he gave the name Lophoura. This Avas described in great de- 



