TARDIGRADA: CANADA 163 



seta a about 75 n, dorsal seta over c about 100 to 150 M. Body very thick 

 dorso-ventrally. The dots on the plates are of moderate size. They are circles which 

 touch at their edges, and which often show a central dot. They look like very flat 

 granules. The paired plates are each divided by a furrow into two parts. It could 

 not be seen whether the dots ceased in this furrow. Most of the specimens, even 

 very large ones, had no processes on the body except the dorsal seta over c ; only 

 a few had the smaller one over d. The lumbar plate is obscurely trefoliate. The 

 spines of the fringe are triangular, and are usually separated a little at their bases. 

 The two-clawed larva has been seen, and from two to four shortly oval eggs in 

 the cast skin. The barbs of the inner claws are fairly large and high up on the 

 claw. The outer claws have not been seen with more than one straight spine near 

 the base. 



Habitat. Among moss growing on the sea-shore, but little above the high-water 

 mark, Victoria, British Columbia. Very abundant in some pieces of the moss. 



It is not necessary to compare E. canadensis with very many species in order to 

 discriminate it. There are very few species known which have straight barbs on the 

 outer claws. Among them there are none which are destitute of lateral processes 

 (other than a). Indeed it is very rare for any species to have dorsal and no lateral 

 processes. 



The Echinisci with straight barbs on the outer claws are four in number 

 E. granulatus, E. blumi, E. oihonnce, and E. merokensis. The types of E. granulatus 

 and E. oihonnce are not described as having outer barbs, but the barbs have been 

 observed in Scottish examples. All of these species have from two to four lateral 

 processes (exclusive of seta a), while E. canadensis has none. The dots of E. 

 granulatus are distinct papillse. E. merokensis and E. blumi have, according to 

 Richters' figures, much coarser dots. E. oihonnce has four lateral spicules, over b, c, 

 d, and e, in addition to the larger spines and setae. 



Echiniscus oihonnce, Richters ? (27) (Plate XX. Fig. 48) 



This is a very doubtful identification, and the Canadian animal is only provisionally 

 united with oihonnce because we know so little as to the limits to the variation in the 

 length of the setse and spines. There are points of striking resemblance to oihonnce, 

 as well as important differences. 



This form differs from oihonnce in lacking seta b, and in the great elongation of 

 process d (which is a spine in oihonnce). It resembles it in having all the correspond- 

 ing processes except seta b, in having the dorsal process over d a broad triangle, and 

 in the little spicules near the bases of the lateral seta3. 



Description. Of large size ; length 300 p- exclusive of head and foot. Plates nine, 

 two pairs, two median. Surface punctate with large dots, which appear to be 

 perforations, and are separated by spaces wider than themselves. The three lateral 



