Malrrial. 



584 TAGK 8KO(_lSBEHC; 



(about the same as in the male ol A. carta) and have no proximal spines. The two or three 

 posterior chiws are annulated. 



The lateral eyes are somewhat larger than those of the female. 



Remarks: — This species was introduced into the literature by G. O. Saks, 1869, p. 357. 

 Although the original description is very deficient and is not illustrated by any figures, it has, 

 all the same, seemed possible to succeeding writers who have dealt with these questions to 

 identify it. Even G. W. Mullek includes it, 1912, p. 45 as identifiable. This author writes 

 about this species (1. c): ,,Der ^4. abyssicola sehr ahnlich, wenig gestreckter. 3. Thoraxbein 

 mit 10 Borsten. Furca niit 5 Dornen, denen noch 2 Borsten folgen. GroBe o i^md $ 1,34 mm." 



The comparatively small number of cleaning bristles on the seventh limb and of claws 

 on the furca and the small length of the shell made me begin to suspect that G. O. Sars had 

 based his description on a specimen that was not yet mature. This suspicion seemed, however, 

 to be directly contradicted by the fact that G. S. Brady and A. M. Norman, who, to judge 

 from the figures of the shell that they add, had mature specimens to investigate — ,, specimens 

 for which we are indebted to Profess(_)r Sar.s" — gave the same length of shell in their work of 

 1896 as G. 0. Sars had given and merely quote Sa.rs's description for other characters. On the 

 other hand this suspicion was confirmed still more strongly by a statement of G. 0. SaRiS himself, 

 as this author writes, 1887, p. 31 (203): ,,Naervaerende Art"' (^ A. uhlonga, length $ 1,7 mm., c? 

 2,07 mm.) ,,upnaar saaledes gjennemgaaende en betydeligere Stoirelse end foregaaende, skjandt 

 den i denne Henseende staar adskilligt tilbage for den nordiske Art A. norvegica."'* 



In order to decide this point I wrote to Professor 8ARS asking if it was possible to re- 

 investigate the type specimen of this species. In reply to this question Prof. Sars communicated 

 to me that unfortunately it was qiute certain that this specimen was lost, but he sent me at the 

 same time two specimens, a mature female and a mature male, which he had determined as 

 specimens of A. norvegica. I could not of course decide with absolute certainty whether this 

 identification of Prof. Sars's was correct; as, however, the original description does not seem 

 directly to contradict it, I have accepted it. 



The result of the investigation of these specimens is given in the re-description of the 

 species given above. As is seen best from a comparison between Sars's original description 

 and my new description, it fully confirmed my suspicion that the type specimen had not 

 been mature. 



It does not seem impossible, however, that the specimens investigated by me are the 

 same as were previously investigated by G. S. BRADY and A. M. NORiMA\, on which they baaed 

 their information in tlieir work of 1896. In this case it is a good illustration of these investigators' 

 methods of work. 

 r/ic spcrir.-i caiJiiirrd As w ill be seen from ;i remark under A. aherratd I had sent nie a specimen caught in 



Strangford Lough, Ireland, which was defined by Prof. G. S. Brady as A. Mariae (\V. BaIRD) 

 and which after a careful investigation proved to be a male in the })eiudtin;ate larval stage, 



* ..'I'hr pri'si'iil s|]ci ics 111 IIS always al laiiis a (■iinsiilrralily.uri'alrr size I liaii I In- |im I'llinndiir. alUu'iinli i Is (liiiifiisidiis 

 are consiijiTaliiy sinallii' Ihaii lln- Siamliiia viaii spi'cirs .(. iiarvi'i^ica." 



iijl tlir cDdsl of 

 Ireland'! 



