19 

 6. Asterope abyssicola, G. O. Sars. 



Asterope abyssicola, G. O. Sars, Nye Dybvandscrustaceer fra Lofoten, Chr. Vid. Selsk. Forh. 



1868, p. 170. 



Specific Characters. Female. Shell, seen laterally, of a somewhat irregular 

 oblong oval shape, with the greatest height a little in front of the middle and 

 exceeding half the length, dorsal and ventral margins gently curved, posterior 

 extremity somewhat narrower than the anterior and obtusely rounded; seen 

 dorsally or ventrally, narrow oblong in outline, with the greatest width about 

 in the middle and the anterior extremity somewhat narrower than the posterior. 

 Frontal incisure of valves occurring rather far below the middle of the anterior 

 extremity and rather deep; rostral part very broad and curving downwards. 

 Surface of shell smooth and polished. Eyes quite inconspicuous in the living 

 animal. Structure of the several appendages very like that in the preceding 

 species; last pair of limbs however provided with a greater number of clean- 

 ing spines, amounting to 19 on each limb. 



Colour uniformly whitish. 



Length of shell 1.80 mm. 



Male unknown. 



Remarks. In the shape of the shell this form resembles somewhat the 

 Mediterranean species, M. elliptica Philippi. It is however of somewhat larger 

 size and differs both from this and the other known species by the absence 

 or at least quite rudimentary condition of the eyes. From the preceding species 

 it is moreover distinguished by the considerably greater number of cleaning 

 spines on the last pair of limbs. 



Occurrence. Two female specimens of this form were taken, many years 

 ago, off the Lofoten islands at the considerable depth of 120 fathoms, muddy 

 bottom. A 3rd female specimen was moreover obtained during the Norwegian 

 North Atlantic Expedition at Stat. 290, located about midway between Finmark 

 and Beeren Eyland, the depth being 191 fathoms. Out of Norway this form 

 has not yet been recorded. 



Fam. 2. Conchoeciidae. 



(Halocypridae auctorum) 



Characters of the family. Shell of varying shape, with the valves, as a 

 rule, very thin and pellucid, scarcely exhibiting any trace of calcination, frontal 

 sinus generally well marked and arched over by 2 closely juxtaposed beak-like 



