38 



years has a heap of species been introduced in the zoo- 

 logical catalogues, so that up to this day I have cast the 

 number up to 110 species, and furthermore I have descrip- 

 tions and drawings of more than 40 species after my opi- 

 nion und escribed. 



I have again and again examined the species of this 

 genus in all details for finding the true relations be- 

 tween these numerous species. The difficulties by such 

 examination through long time are particularly increased 

 for want of material. Several forms I had examined years 

 ago and never seen again, several were only in single spe- 

 cimens in the museums, and which I dared not sacrifice. 



The result I have reached and which T shall give in the 

 following, will surely be a surprise and perhaps, at first view^, 

 be doubtful for the naturalists, Avho have been occupied 

 with the study of these Crustacea. This genus particu- 

 larly will be subjected to a complete alteration; I have 

 divided it in two parts, Armadillo and SpheriUo, and these 

 two parts I have placed in two different sections or subfa- 

 milies of the family of Oniscidce. 



The characters gathered from the truncal segments, 

 Avhich I have used formerly for the grouping of the species, 

 may be good enough as characters of lower value, it is cer- 

 tain that the more or less ability to conglobation has fixed 

 marks on the different truncal-segments*) and particularly 

 on the extremities of the body, on the front and on the 

 telsum and on their appendages; but the conglobation, 

 so often very much similar in different species, will how- 

 ever by careful examination be proved to have its origin 

 from entirely different types. 



") When Dollfus marks with the name „coxopodit" the duplicature, 

 fold, split or groove in the first and sometimes in other truneal- 

 segments, it is a term, which may be satisfactorily descriptive, 

 but morphologically seen it is wrong; this structure often has 

 nothing to do with the legs, it is only a physiological formation, 

 being very diffei'ent from the coxopodit in the TJqne, hJothcte 

 and other maritime Lsopods. 



