ijXimicry or the faculty of mimicking, or disguising themselves, ac- 

 quired by certain animals, which are exposed to the attacks of many 

 enemies, or by their slowness, etc., are but little adapted to catch their 

 prej^, has long been a well-known fact, and it has been studied in dif- 

 ferent groups. But, as far as I know, it has never yet been observed 

 among the Amphipoda. The remarkable Hyperids, treated in this pa- 

 per, presenting, according to my opinion, an instance of mimicry, this 

 circumstance seems to me another reason to publish a description 

 of them. 



Among the collections of pelagic Crustacea, brought together du- 

 ring the expedition of H Swed. M. Frigate Eugenie, and kindly entrusted 

 to me by Piofessor Sven Lovén for determination, a little amphipod 

 attracted my attention by the enormous globular development of its 

 body. Put into a larger glass with spiritus, it offered at the first sight 

 a striking resemblance to a little jellyfish by the hyaline, bell-shaped 

 form of the fore-part of the body, and by the straight slender legs and 

 the minute tail, hanging down as filaments. Afterwards I got larger 

 specimens of the same species and some other allied ones in a very 

 valuable collection of Hyperids, sent to me by Professor Japetus Steen- 

 STRUP from the University Museum at Copenhagen through the kind in- 

 termediation of Professor Lovén. Thus provided with a comparatively 

 rich material I submitted it to a closer examination, the results of which 

 are e-iven below. 



The examination of the mouth-organs and other parts of the ani- 

 mal showed that it must doubtless be ranged among the Amphipoda 

 Hyperidea, and also that it must be set down as a genus of its own. 

 I propose for it the name of Mimonectes. 



Its difi'erences from the other Hyperidea being too important to 

 allow of its introduction into any of the old families of that tribe, it may 

 be considered the type of a new family: 



Nova Acta Keg. Soc. So. Dps. Ser. III. 1 



