ORTMANN: FAMILIES AND GENERA OF NAJADES., 331 
Paraptera gracilis (Barnes).” 
I myself collected about a dozen specimens with soft parts in the 
Ohio and Lake Erie in western Pennsylvania, and received, from R. L. 
Moodie, a male from the Kansas River in Kansas, and from L. S. 
Frierson a male and a sterile female from Bayou Pierre, Louisiana. 
The breeding season seems to have certain peculiarities. The 
species is undoubtedly bradytictic, but the season begins rather late. 
I found specimens with the marsupium partly charged as early as 
August 30, but these, as well as others found in September and October, 
all had only eggs, but no glochidia. In spring, a discharging female 
has been observed as early as May 22, but others were found fully 
charged with glochidia as late as July 7, 8,and 11.8 Thus the breeding 
season must last from the end of August to about the middle of July, 
with only a very short interval. 
Incomplete descriptions of the soft parts have been published by 
Lea (Obs., X, 1863, p. 434) and Simpson (in Baker, 1898, p. 99). 
Anal and supra-anal separated by a mantle-connection which is 
slightly longer than the anal. Anal crenulated, branchial with papille. 
In the female the inner edge of the mantle in front of the branchial 
is lamellar, somewhat dilated, with fine crenulations, running forward 
for about one-third the length of the margin of the mantle. No 
papillae are present. Palpi with the posterior margins united at the 
base only. 
Gills and diaphragm of normal shape. Inner lamina of inner gills 
connected throughout with abdominal sac. Structure of gills normal. 
Marsupium formed by the posterior part of the outer gill, kidney- 
shaped, and swollen. Ovisacs numerous (thirty to forty), lanceolate. 
Placentz not very solid, glochidia distributed all through the mass, 
very small, of suboval shape. Length 0.08; height 0.09 mm. (See 
47 Lea (Obs., VIII, 1862, p. 79, pl. 9, fig. 224) described U. dolosus, which Simpson 
(1900), p. 568) makesa synonym of U. purpuratus Lea, but states that the glochidia 
are pouch-shaped (Lampsilis-type), not wedge-shaped as in Paraptera purpurata. 
Simpson dismisses this by saying (J. c., footnote 2) that the ‘‘form of embryos ina 
given species is often not constant.’’ This is a very serious mistake, for there is 
nothing more constant for the species than the glochidium. Call (1895, p. 19) 
makes dolosus a synonym of gracilis, and I think that he is right. Simpson (I. c., 
Pp. 574) does not report gracilis from the Alabama drainage, but it surely is there 
(as dolosus). Ihave myself seen two specimens from the Coosa River at Wetumpka, 
collected by H. H. Smith in October, 1901. 
48 Those collected July 7 and 8 are from Lake Erie, but the one collected July 11 
is from the Ohio River. 
