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PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Fontaria Louisiana Chamberlin is included as a doubtful junior 

 synonym partly on the basis of its type locality and partly because 

 there is nothing in the original description to preclude such an associa- 

 tion. The name was proposed without diagnosis, comparison to any 

 other species, or illustration, and, to make matters worse, I have been 

 unable on two occasions to locate the type at the Museum of Com- 

 parative Zoology. The description of the gonopods of Louisiana is 

 quoted in full: 



Characterized by the structure of the gonopods of the male. In these the 

 posterior or principal limb of the telopodite is bifid, the branches long, slender, 

 and subequal and cross those of the other gonopod; of the two branches of prongs 

 the mesal one is geniculate near tip with the latter acute, while the ectal one is 

 straight, its tip also acute. The proximal, undivided and less chitinous stalk is 

 thick, densely hairy, and is prolonged along the mesal side of the mesal prong. 

 The anterior or lesser spine is much shorter than the bifid branch, it is much nar- 

 rowed distad, is moderately sigmoidally flexed, and crosses that of the other 

 gonopod. 



According to this verbal characterization, both tibiotarsal branches 

 are distally simple. I find, however, that in crassicutis the subapical 



Figure 9. — Distal end of the secondary tibiotarsus of three speci- 

 mens of Pachydesmus crassicutis crassicutis from Louisiana. Left 

 to right: from Port Hudson, East Baton Rouge Parish; Gonzales, 

 Ascension Parish; and New Orleans Parish. 



process of the secondary tibiotarsus is usually concealed when the 

 gonopods are viewed in place. Until the holotype, or additional 

 specimens from the type locality, can be examined and the status of 

 Louisiana settled conclusively, I feel that the evidence is entirely on 

 the side of treating the name as a junior syonym of P. c. crassicutis. 

 Through the kindness of Dr. Chamberlin, I was priviledged to study 

 the type specimen of Pachydesmus simulans. This name was based 

 upon a male from the vicinity of Gonzales, Ascension Parish, La., a 

 locality bracketed by the known localities for crassicutis. Chamberlin's 

 (1942) original description stated that simulans is— 



