[ 221 ] 



VII. 



SUliVET OF FISHING-GROUNDS, WEST COAST OF IRELAND, 1890-1891. 

 X.-REPORT ON THE CRUSTACEA SOHIZOPODA OF IRELAND. By 

 ERNEST AV. L. HOLT, and W. I. BEAUMONT, B.A., Cantab. 



(Plate XVI.) 



COMMUNICATED BT DR. E. F. SCHAEFF. 



[Rend Apeil 19, Received for Publication 'SIxy 30, 1899. Published Apbil 30, 1900.] 



When the Survey terminated in 1891 all the collections, with the exception of 

 certain duplicates other\yise disposed of by the Society, were handed over to the 

 National Museum. A great deal of the material remained still unexamined, 

 or had only been roughly sorted by one of us during the survey. This was 

 especially the case with the smaller Crustacea and other minute forms taken in 

 fine-meshed nets of various descriptions. We have recently been able, by the 

 permission of Dr. R. F. Scharff, to examine a number of bottles containing such 

 gatherings, and now present the results of our observations in so far as concerns 

 the Schizopoda. 



At the same time, since the energies of the Society are once more directed to 

 the marine zoology of the country, we have endeavoured to compile as complete 

 a list of Irish members of the group as can be obtained from all the material in the 

 national collection, and from the meagre literature of the subject. Such a 

 list, imperfect as it certainly is, cannot fail to be useful as a basis for future 

 observations. It has been brought as far as possible up to date, while in press, 

 by observations made at the Society's Marine Laboratory during the present 

 3'ear, and by the examination of the " Oceana" Collection. 



Though in themselves of no commercial value, the Schizopoda form a most 

 important item in the food of fishes, while the observed conditions of their distri- 

 bution, and the pelagic or partially pelagic habit of at least some of the species 

 appear likely to yield results of interest, were the subject adequately studied. 



Norman's admirably useful synopsis of the British membersf is sufficiently 

 recent to enable us to confine our introductory remarks to a brief comparison of 



-\ " British Schizopoda of the families LophogastridK and Euphausidfe." Aim. Maij. Nat. Hist., S. 6, 

 i.\., 1892, p. 454, and "British Mysida>," ihld., x., 1892, p. 143. 



TR.\NS. ROY. DUB. SOC, N.S. VOL. VII., PAET VII. 2 I 



