Kev. Canon A. M. Norman on Bathynectes. 275 



runs across tlie middle, uniting the bases of the posterior 

 lateral spines. 



It is possible that Portunus superhus is distinct from Bathy- 

 nectes longispina. My supposition is that it is a very large 

 male. It in all points appears to agree with B. longispina^ 

 except the frontal margin, which is furnished with four well- 

 developed acute spines, while the inner orbital spines are so 

 much developed that they are represented in the plate as large 

 as these spines. But Bovallius has shown that great changes 

 take place in these frontal spines according to the size of the 

 individual ; and on pi. ii. figs. 1-4 he represents four stages 

 of growth, showing that the older the example is the more 

 distinct and the more acute these spines become. 



British Habitat. A specimen was submitted to me for iden- 

 tification in 1889 by Mr. G. C. Bourne which had been 

 trawled by him in H.M.S. * Research ' in 400 fathoms off the 

 south-west of Ireland. 



Distribution. A single male was dredged by the ' Porcu- 

 pine ' Expedition of 1869, Stat. 65, which is some 45 miles 

 north-west of Shetland, in lat. 61° 10' N., long. 2° 21' W., in 

 345 fathoms. This station is close on the boundary-line of 

 the British area *. 



The example of Portunus superbas was procured by Costa 

 in the Mediterranean near Naples. The specimens described 

 by Stimpson were from Pourtalfes's Gulf-stream dredgings, 

 and were obtained off Sand Key, West Key, American Shoal, 

 and the Marquesas Keys, in 100-150 fathoms. More 

 recently it has been taken by the United States Fish Com- 

 mission off Martha's Vineyard and Delaware Bay, N.E. 

 America, in 86-225 fath. I have had the opportunity of com- 

 paring one of these specimens (the male, taken at Stat. 1097, 

 off Martha's Vineyard, 158 fath.), for which I am indebted to 

 the U. S. National Museum, with the ' Porcupine ' specimen, 

 with which it in every respect agrees. Four specimens have 

 been obtained off the coast of Norway to the north-west of 

 Bergen, which came into the hands of Dr. Bovallius ; and a 

 fifth was taken near the same place by the Norwegian North- 

 Atlantic Expedition, as recorded by Prof. G. O. Sars. More 

 recently Prof. A. Milne- Edwards has noticed its occurrence 

 off Cape Ortegal, Spain, in 900 metres, where it was dredged 

 by ' Le Travailleur.' 



Bathynectes superba is thus shown to have a range appa- 

 rently coextensive with the North Atlantic. 



* See note on this station, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. scr. 6, vol. v. p. 4oG. 



