342 Prof. F. J. Bell on British Ophiurids. 



have not been successful in determining the species of Crus- 

 tacea described by Viviani in the pamphlet just alluded to. 



5. W/tat is the Correct Specific Name of the ^^ Shetland Argus'''' ? 



To tliis species Forbes (1840) applied Linck's pre-Linnean 

 and generic name of Astrophyton scutatum^ generic not only 

 because he calls it distinctly " genus," but because he distin- 

 guishes as ''species" — " (1) Scuto rotato, ramis similaribus 

 ex mari albo," " (2) Aliud Musei Regii Dresdensis/' and 

 " (3) Scuto striato pulvinato, ramis nodosis et frequentibus 

 denticulis asperis ; " it is therefore no more reasonable to 

 write " Astrophyton scutatiim (pars), Linck," among the 

 synonyms of a species than it would be to write Asterias 

 (pars), Linnasus. 



Mr. Lyman calls the species Gorgonocephalus Linclcii^ 

 applying Miiller and Troschel's specific name (1S42). 

 Forbes without a query sign, Lyman with one, quote Asterias 

 caput-medusce, Linnaeus ; the latter refers to the ' Fauna 

 Suecica,' without, however, saying that it is the second edition 

 of tliat work which he quotes, the former to the ' Systema 

 Naturae.' 



In neither case does the Linnean description afford any 

 clue to any thing more than the genus, and neither author 

 quotes the much fuller description which is to be found in the 

 'Museum regis Adolphi Frederici ' (1754), p. 95 ; as this 

 appears to be but little known I have reproduced it in a 

 footnote *. • 



Even from this, however, it is impossible to be certain what 

 species Linnreus had before him ; and as he gives the Indian 

 and southern oceans as well as the seas of Norway as the 

 habitat, it seemed to me probable that more than one species, 

 as we understand them, was before him. Li this difficulty I 

 turned as usual to the friendly assistance of Prof. Loven, and, 

 also as usual, 1 got the help I sought ; Prof. Loven tells me 

 that in his opinion the specimen whieli was before Linna'us 



• " Asterias radiuta ; radii's dic^»io})iis. 



"Caj'Uf MeduscP. Kiunph. Mat;. 41. t. 10. 



" Habitat nou taiitum in Ockano versus Norvegiam, sedet iu nustrali 

 et Indico. 



''Corpus Stella o-fidn, convexa, anpulis in radios exeuntibus. Itadii 

 geniinati, ba>i iiniti, scabri. loranien inter singulus lobos corporis 

 utriiique. ''Ceidrina hispiduiu supra ore quiuquetido. 7k'<JMji arliculati, 

 dicliotomi iiinunieris dichotoniiis, sensiui tenuiores, pedales, sosiiui- 

 pedales : supra, utrinque, serie siniplici ex punctis seabris. 4 s. ■'>. nni«r',- 

 nibus.'' 



