352 On some Japanese CepliaJopods. 



ways bj Tliiele, Giirape, and other recent German writers. 

 Further investigation of the filaraentilierous pouclies of 

 Watasella, its skeletal features, and buccal organs, will be 

 awaited with interest. There seems indeed no vanguard to 

 tlie procession of astonishing novelties being continuously 

 brought to light from the Japanese fauna. 



The second new genus, Gonatopsis, is likewise somewhat 

 of a puzzle. Its most extraordinary peculiarity, and that 

 which iias suggested the name of its type-species, odopedatns, 

 is dismissed with a curt two words, " Tentacles absent.^' 

 But the same condition has been described so frequently in 

 the history of cephalopod taxonomy that one may be pardoned 

 a little healthy scepticism until more conclusive evidence can 

 be brought forward to show that this loss is not the result of 

 accident or otherwise a secondary or ontogenetic circumstance. 



Chunella is proposed as a new generic name for BoUtcena 

 diaphana (Hoyle), Chun, on tlie suggested rather than 

 })roven ground that the tyj)ical BoUtcena of Steenstrup is 

 related to Alloposus rather than to Eledonella, as maintained 

 by CMiun. Tliis is an interesting view, and should be in- 

 quired into furtiier by someone in a position satisfactorily to 

 settle the point raised, but tlie argument advanced requires 

 much elaboration to be altogether convincing. 



A great preponderance of the new forms described (12 out 

 of 20) are members of the genus Polypus. It is impossible 

 at present to give any rational discussion of the probable 

 relationships of these, but attention should be called to the 

 fact that two of the new names proposed are unfortunately 

 preempted for use elsewhere. As Prof. Sasaki has most 

 courteously expressed a wish that the present reviewer 

 rechristen them, the name Polyjnis holckaidensis is here 

 proposed for Polypus glaher, Sasaki, 1920, not P. glahtr, 

 " Eiippell/^ Wiilker, 1920 (prior publication), and the name 

 Polypus madokai * for P. pustalosus, Sasaki, 1920, not 

 Octopus pustalosus, " Peron," Blainville, 1826. 



An interesting feature of the paper is the discovery in 

 Japanese waters of the genus Scce ury us, Inthevto known only 

 from the Hawaiian Islands and the Mediterranean. In view 

 of the several discrepancies noted by Sasaki, its specific 

 identity with the Hawaiian form is probably not certain. 



It is worth noting that by all odds the most abundant 

 species in the collection, represented by about 100 specimens, 

 was liossia pacijica. 



* Named in honour of Prof. Sasaki in recognition of his work as a 

 student of .Japanese Cephalopoda, as well as in some degree to acknow- 

 ledge tlie recent receipt of several signal courtesies froju his hands. 



