ATLANTIC AND CARIBBEAN PYCNOGONIDA—HEDGPETH 199 
gracile is nearly as long as the third. WN. gracile is known from®the 
coast of Denmark to the Atlantic coast of Morocco and in the Mediter- 
ranean (Bouvier, 1923, pp. 30-31, fig. 24), where it appears to be the 
only species of Nymphon. Bouvier (1923, p. 31) suggests that NV. 
cienfuegost Franganillo (1918) is probably gracile. Hilton’s record 
(1942a, p. 7) of Nymphon gracile from Alaskan waters appears to be 
an error for N. brevitarse Krgyer, which is understandable in view of 
the confusion in nomenclature (Hedgpeth, 1943a, p. 89). 
Family PALLENIDAE Wilson, 1878 
Phoxichilidae Norman, 1908, p. 231. 
Pallenidae Marcus, 1940b, p. 21. 
Callipallenidae Hinton, 1942b, p. 281. (Nec ‘‘Callipallenidae (Hoek) 18767!) 
Chelifores present, usually with small chelae; scape 1- or 2-jointed. 
Palpi usually lacking or represented by rudimentary knobs near the 
base of the proboscis. Ovigers 10-jointed, with or without a terminal 
claw, present in both sexes. ‘There are certain species of dubious 
standing, e. g., ““Pallene palpida’”’ Hilton (1939, p. 30) and Oropallene 
dimorpha (Hoek, 1898, p. 290), in which the palpus is 4-jointed in the 
male. 
Certain changes in generic names in this family have been proposed 
that are, to say the least, confusing. Not only do they tax the 
patience of taxonomists by defeating the purpose of the international 
rules of nomenclature by an overzealous adherence to them, but also 
they threaten to turn future synonymies into an inextricable tangle, . 
which would make it impossible for anyone but a specialist to know 
the precise species under discussion in general or ecological papers.” 
Tt all began in 1902 when the Rev. T. R. R. Stebbing published, 
in an otherwise admirable series of popular articles entitled ‘““The 
Nobodies, a Seafaring Family,’’ some recommended changes in nomen- 
clature. He proposed Chilophoxus as a generic name to supplant 
the familiar Phozxichilus (now known as H/ndeis), then in general use. 
The Phozichilus of Latreille was really the same as Wilson’s Pseudo- 
pallene; hence the latter name should be discarded in favor of Phozi- 
chitus Latreille and the family name Pallenidae be changed to Phoxi- 
chilidae. 
This argument was taken up and elaborated by Norman (1908), 
who satisfied himself that Phoxichilus auct. nec Latreille and Chalo- 
phoxus Stebbing were congeneric with Hndeis Philippi. Norman 
cited Latreille’s (1804, vol. 24, p. 137) original diagnosis, which was 
vague enough even to apply to Colossendeis, although he did refer 
Pycnogonum spinipes O. Fabricius to his Phoxichilus. This incorrect 
diagnosis was elaborated in later editions of Latreille’s work, with the 
further suggestion that Nymphon femoratum Rathke and possibly 
1 See Cole’s (1910, p. 194) unhappy footnote. 
