33* 



NATURE 



{August 9, 1888 



Among other families largely represented was that of the 

 Haleciidae, with not only many new species, but with a 

 new genus, marked by the phenomenon that the colony 

 is provided with bodies which admit of close comparison 

 with the sarcostyles and sarcothecae of the Plumularina?. 



The curious genus Synthecium, in which the gonangia 

 spring from within the cavity of the hydrotheca, is repre- 

 sented by two new species, both from the Australian seas. 

 There also occur fine examples of the remarkable genus 

 Thecocladium, in which every branch of the colony 

 springs, like the gonangium in Synthecium, from within 

 the cavity of the hydrotheca. 



As regards the classification of the Hydroida, the 

 author acknowledges that the time for a complete system 

 has not yet come, such a one should include not only all 

 Hydroid trophosomes with their associated gonosomes ; 

 but all the existing Hydromedusa? should have been traced 

 to their respective trophosomes, there are however many 

 of these Hydromedusa? not so traced, though we may be 

 certain that their trophosomes exist. Of those Hydro- 

 medusa? into whose life history a polypoid term has never 

 apparently been intercalated, a separate and well defined 

 group must be formed. Thus the sub-orders may be neatly 

 defined as : — (1) Gymnoblastea. No hydrotheca? or gon- 

 angia. Nutritive zooids when more than one forming per- 

 manent colonies Planoblasts in the form of Anthomedusae. 

 (2) Calyptoblastea. Hydranths protected by hydrotheca?. 

 Sexual buds protected by gonangia. Nutritive zooids 

 forming permanent colonies. Planoblasts in the form of 

 Leptomedusae. (3) Eleutheroblastea. No hydrotheca? 

 or gonangia. Nutritive zooids not forming permanent 

 colonies. No differentiated gonophores. (4) Hydro- 

 corallia. A calcareous corallum (ccenosteum) permeated 

 by a system of ramified and inosculating ccenosarcal 

 tubes from which the hydranths are developed. (5) 

 Monopsea. Free Hydromedusa? which are developed 

 directly from the egg without the intervention of a polypoid 

 trophosome. Auditory clubs with endodermal otolites on 

 the umbrella margin, and (6) Rhabdophora (Graptolites). 

 Hydranths replaced by sarcostyles. Hydrocaulus 

 traversed by a chitinous longitudinal rod. 



Thirty-nine plates accompany this portion of Prof. 

 Allman's memoir, the enlarged figures on these are all 

 from the pencil of the author, while the figures represent- 

 ing the forms of their natural size have been for the most 

 part drawn from the specimens by Miss M. M. Daniel, 

 and transferred to the stone by Mr. Hollick. 



The Report taken in connection with the previously 

 published one on the legion of the Plumularinae con- 

 stitutes a most comprehensive and valuable history of 

 the Hydroids for which all biological students will feel 

 their indebtedness to the author. 



The fourth Report is on the Entozoa, by Dr. O. von 

 Linstow of Gottingen. The number of Entozoa collected 

 was but small, and chiefly from the alimentary tract of 

 birds ; four new species of Ascaris, three of Filaria, and 

 one of Prothelmins, among the Nematodes, four species of 

 Taenia, and two of Tetrabothrium among the Cestoids, 

 are described and figured in the two plates accompanying 

 the Report. 



The fifth Report, also a short one, is by Edgar A. Smith, 

 on the Heteropoda. Although no new species are 

 described, several are indicated of which the material 



was not sufficient to enable the form to be described with' 

 certainty. 



A most useful and wonderfully complete synonymic 

 list of all known forms of the group is given, and this 

 Report will be found of the greatest value to all interested 

 in the Heteropods. 



Vol. XXIV. contains the Report, by C. Spence Bate,. 

 F.R.S., on the Crustacea Macrura, or rather on the larger 

 portion of those found during the Expedition. This 

 Report forms a volume of over 1030 pages, which is bound 

 up separately from the 157 lithographic plates; and in the 

 preparation of this great and laborious work and its- 

 illustrations Mr. Spence Bate has occupied all his leisure 

 during the last ten years. 



Of the enormous mass of detail in this volume it would 

 be impossible to give within our limits any intelligible 

 account ; not only are the generic and specific diagnoses 

 given with minute accuracy, but we are, in addition, 

 favoured with a deeply interesting account of all that is 

 known as to the developmental stages of the species ; for 

 this latter purpose the notes and drawings from life of the 

 late Dr. Willemoes Suhm have been largely and most pro- 

 perly used. The extreme imperfection of the records of 

 the life-history of even some of our well-known forms is 

 strongly insisted upon, and we would call attention to the 

 subject in the hope that we may direct the energies of 

 some of our younger biologists to this fertile field of 

 research. 



The great and recognized experience of the author in 

 all that concerns this section of the Crustacea makes his 

 opinions, founded on so large a knowledge, as to the 

 classification thereof, of importance. Accepting the 

 divisions of this sub-order of the Decapods, called by 

 Huxley Trichobranchiata and Phyllobranchiata, though 

 with a slightly different arrangement of some of the 

 families, the author follows Dana in placing the Penaeidea 

 in a separate division, with the name Dendrobranchiata, 

 " while the Squillidae, Mysidas, &c— that is, the Schizopoda 

 originally, and later the Stomapoda of Latreille, Milne 

 Edwards, and De Haan— are arranged under the head of 

 Anomobranchiata, which term was first used by Dana 

 and afterwards by Heller ; it has therefore priority of 

 date, and is less liable to misconception than the ternr 

 Abranchiata" of Huxley (p. 6). Afterwards we find, on a 

 review of the forms included under the Dendrobranchiata, 

 that the Schizopoda may be regarded as an aberrant 

 group of this tribe. Prof. Sars, who, it will be remem- 

 bered, described the Schizopoda of the Challenger 

 Expedition (" Zool. Reports," Part 37) thought " it more 

 .appropriate for the present to assign to this group the 

 rank of a distinct tribe or sub-order, there being several 

 well-marked characters distinguishing these Crustacea 

 rather sharply from all other knovvn Decapods." Mr. 

 Spence Bate, however, thinks " that with the exception of 

 the variable condition of the pereiopoda, the several genera 

 do not possess a single character that is not held in com- 

 mon with some genus of the Macrura," and concludes 

 from excellent reasons given in detail " that the natural 

 position of these animals is that of an aberrant tribe 

 of the Dendrobranchiata, more nearly allied to the 

 degraded forms of the Penaeidea than to those of any other- 

 group" (p. 472). 



Each of the three divisions of the Macrura are divided! 



