6 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. iis 



subadult male stages, I am inclined to believe that several species may 

 be involved in the Falkland-Magellan-Valparaiso-Juan Fernandez 

 femorata-brevipes complex as it now stands. 



Amjnthoe orientalis (Dana), a tropical Pacific species, is very 

 closely related to the hreviijes-femorata complex, including the 

 eoa-mea-annenkovae group; although J. L. Barnard (1955) reported it 

 from the Hawaiian Islands, I am not sure that his identification was 

 correct, because gnathopod 1 is much more slender than origmaUy 

 described. How that species difi^ers from the others of the complex 

 is as yet unclear. 



One should note the strong resemblance between Ampithoe mitsu- 

 kurii Delia Valle (1893) and A. tarasovi Bulycheva (1952), both 

 from Japan; because Ampithoes change so much with age, it is not 

 inconceivable that A. mitsukurii is but a young stage of tarasovi, the 

 latter having the broader, blunter palmar tooth of gnathopod 2 and 

 the longer fifth article of gnathopod 1. The condition of the third 

 pleonal epimeron and lower lip is not clear, to my knowledge, in A. 

 mitsukurii and clarification of these would help solve the problem. 

 In addition, Ampithoe mitsukurii bears close checking with A. valida, 

 for the latter has a narrow medial palmar tubercle on gnathopod 2 and 

 the suggestion at times of a projection at the palmar corner; also it 

 has the slightly elongated article 5 of gnathopod 1 with a distally 

 produced hind lobe. Most probably, A. mitsukurii is an aberrant 

 individual of A. valida. 



Key to Species of California Ampithoe 



1. Third pleonal epimeron with a small point at lower posterior corner . . 2 

 Third pleonal epimeron rounded at lower posterior corner 3 



2. Male gnathopod 1: article 5 with a large, distally produced hind lobe (fig. 



Ih), lobes of lower lip bulbous (fig. lA;) valida 



Male gnathopod 1; article 5 with poorly developed unproduced hind lobe 

 (fig. 1/), lobes of lower lip slender (fig. Ij) lacertosa 



3. Palm of gnathopod 1 transverse (figs, la, 6) 4 



Palm of gnathopod 1 oblique (figs. Ic-e) 9 



4. Article 2 of pereopods 3-5 narrow plea (in part) 



Article 2 of pereopods 3-5 broad 5 



5. Gnathopods 1-2: article 5 equals 6 in length humeralis 



Gnathopods 1-2: article 5 shorter than 6 6 



6. Apical lobes of lower lip projecting equally 8 



Apical lateral lobes of lower lip longer than medial lobes 7 



7. Male antenna 2: peduncle stout, article 4 90% as long as article 5 . . sp. 

 Male antenna 2: peduncle slender, article 4 120% as long as article 5 . . tea 



8. Article 6 of gnathopod 1 stout (fig. 16) plea (in part) 



Article 6 of gtiathopod 1 slender (fig. la) lindbergi 



9. Lobe on article 5 of gnathopod 1 distally produced 10 



Lobe on article 5 of gnathopod 1 rounded behind (figs. 1/, g, i) 12 



