310 Dr. \V. T. Calmui) on the 



XXVI. — The 77o/r)///^)e o/" AmmotliPfi cnroliiiensis, Leach 

 {Fi/c)toc;onida). By W. T. Calbian, I). So, 



(Published b}' permission of the Trustees of the British Museum.) 



Just a century ago, in t])e first volume of his ' Zoological 

 Miscellany ' (pp. 33-34, p). xiii.) *, Dr. W. E. Leach 

 described and liguied a new species of Pycnogonid, which he 

 placed in a new genus under the name Ammothea carohixensis. 

 Loman f has pointed out that, according to the original 

 description and figure. Leach's species is not congeneric with 

 the majority of species tliat have since been referred to 

 Amnwthea, but belongs to the group to which the name 

 LeionymplioHj Mobius|, has been given. This conclusion 

 has been accepted, and the consequent changes in nomen- 

 clature have been made, by Bouvier and by Hodgson. 



One of the two specimens described by Leach is preserved 

 in the British Museum and, aitiiough not quite unscathed by 

 the accidents of a hundred years, it is still in fair condition. 

 As Loman's discussion is based solely on Leach's description 

 and figure §, it seems desirable to place on record some 

 further details regarding this specimen, which must now be 

 accepted as the holotype of the sjjecies. 



Description. — The specimen is immature, as is shown by 

 the chelate condition of the chelophores and the shortness 

 of the ovigers. The body a})pears to be somewhat shortened 

 by contraction in drying. 



Lateral processes separated by intervals of less tiian half 

 their diameter, each with a slight distal ridge which is very 

 indistinctly bilobed. 



Transverse ho(hj-r\dges very prominent, rising into acutely 

 conic;d median processes with the points directed obliquely 

 forwards. 



Cephalon about twice as wide as long. Ocular tubercle 



* Hoek (' Challenger ' Rep. Pycnogouida, p. 23, 1881) gives the date as 

 1815, but Mr. C. D. Sherboru assures me that there is uo reason for 

 doubting the date 1814 given on Leach's titlepage. 



t Pantopoden d. Sibogii-Exp. p. 10 (19U8). 



\ Pantopoden d. deutschen Tiefsee-Exp. p. 183 (1902). 



§ It IS not correct to statt^, as Hodgson does (^Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 

 (8) XV. p. 14G, 1915), that " Loman has called attention to the type- 

 specimen of Leach now preserved in the British Museum." Loman 

 uiakes no reference to the specimen, and I am not aware that he took any 

 steps to discover whether it still '^.\i>te'd. 



