538 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. 47. 



longitudinal folds as shown in the figure. The anterior margin of the 

 lorica is deeply excavate and produced into two long, stout anterior 

 spines, slightly incurved and upcurved. The posterior segment of the 

 body is broadly triangular, ending in a rounded lobe, slight^ narrowed 

 at the base and decurved; on the dorsal side there are two parallel, 

 transyei-se ridges on each side of the median line. The first foot 

 joint reaches down on the movable joint as a pointed lobe; the coxal 

 plates are broad and rounded. The toes are fairly long, straight, and 

 parallel-sided, ending in bluntly conical points without any claw. 

 The body is of average depth. 



Total length, 165 pt; length of lorica, 135 //; width of anterior edge 

 inside of spines, 48 /i; length of dorsal plate, 110 /<, width, 81 //; width 

 of ventral plate, 75 fi; length of toes, 42 /i; depth of body, 48 fx. 



Type.—C&i. No. 16572, U.S.N.M., collected in a pool between 

 Black Swamp and Gatun (2); only two specimens were found in the 

 collection. 



This species is closely related to Lecane marshi; it is noticeably 

 broader posteriorly and the depth of the body is less; the anterior 

 spines are, however, sufficient to distmguish the two. With Lecane 

 stokesii, L. ludwigii, and L. ohioensis they form the most closely related 

 group within the genus, differing principally in the form of the posterior 

 segment of the body; the lorica is very firm in all of these species and 

 the dorsal pattern differs only in the first row of markings. 



LECANE FLEXILIS (Gosse). 

 Plate 19, figs. 1-3. 



Distyla flexilis Gosse, Hudson and Gosse, Rotifera, 1886, vol. 2, p. 97, pi. 24, 



fig. 7. 

 ? Distyla lipara Gosse, Journ. Royal Micr. Soc, 1887, p. 867, pi. 15, fig. 16 

 ? Cathypna brevis Murray, Journ. Royal Mcr. Soc, 1913, p. 555, pi. 22, fig. 8. 



The lorica is very nearly circular; the small posterior segment is 

 almost covered by the dorsal plate of the lorica and the anterior mar- 

 gins are coincident. The dorsal plate is subcircular and its anterior 

 margin convex with two short, very stout, slightly incurving frontal 

 spines. The markings of the dorsal plate are very prominent and of 

 an unusual pattern; there are four transverse rows of ridges, the first 

 row broken, the other three fairly regular with 7, 8, and 7 ridges 

 respectively. The ventral plate is considerably narrower than the 

 dorsal and quite flexible, with ill-defined lateral edges; the markings 

 are constant in front, becoming more variable toward the foot. The 

 posterior segment of the body is rounded and projects but little 

 beyond the dorsal plate; the coxal plates are nearly semicircular. 

 The first foot jouit is elongate-oval and the movable joint broad and 

 rhomboid. The toes are short, with a well marked, recurved claw; 

 their inner edges are straight, while the outer edge has a double curve, 



