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Note on two species of Cucumaria from Plymouth, hitherto 

 confused as 0. Montagu/' (Fleming) : C. Normani, n. sp., 

 and 0. saxicola, Brady and Robertson. 



By 

 S. Pace. 



Pending the publication, in a paper now in preparation, of an account 

 of the Holothuria of the Plymouth district, and an attempt at a revision 

 of the European species of tliat group, it has appeared advisable to 

 publish the following sliort note*, with tlie view of removing one of 

 the most prolific of those sources of error with which the literary 

 history of the Holothuria has come to be burdened. 



Holothuria Montcujui, Fleming, affords a remarkable instance of how 

 mucli confusion may gather around a specific name ; the species was 

 itself founded on a misconception, and almost every author who 

 has since made use of Fleming's name, or who has attempted to dis- 

 entangle its synonymy, has but made matters rather more involved. 

 It is not my intention to discuss the synonymy of C. Montarjui at 

 all fully in the present paper, as it will be more convenient to do 

 this subsequently, when dealing with other species, and only so much 

 of the history of the name will now be mentioned as is essential to tlie 

 immediate purpose of the present note. 



In 1808 Montagu (4) described and figured as " MoloiJniria ]\ntadcs, 

 var.," a species of Cucumarin which he had found on the south coast 

 of Devonshire. This species, from Montagu's excellent description, 

 must certainly have been one of the two forming the subject of this 

 paper ; and which has, among other names, been known as G. Montar/ni, 

 Fleming. Now, whatever C. Montagid really may be, it certainly 

 is not conspecific with Montagu's supposed variety of C. pcntades. 

 Of course, it was undoubtedly Fleming's intention to iionour Montagu 

 by bestowing his name upon the species discovered by that naturalist ; 

 but, unfortunately, the description (2) of C. MontcKjui is based upon 

 specimens of another species collected in the Firth of Forth. Fleming 

 makes reference under the name Moutofjui to Montagu's description 



* My thanks are due to Dr. E. J. Allen, Director of the Plymouth Laboratory, for 

 allowiuff nie to devote tlie necessary time to this research ; to Prof. F. .T. Hell for 

 granting me facilities for working at llie collections under his care at the British ISIuseum ; 

 and to Dr. A. M. Xornian for nnuli frii'iidly criti<'isni. 



