88 Miscellaneous. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



The Type of Cidaris. 



To the Editors of the ' Annals and Magaziiu of Natural History.^ 



Gentlemkn, — In my reply (in the June number of the ' Annals ') to 

 Dr. Bather's (in the March 'Annals') discussion of the type of 

 Cidaris I completely overlooked the really conclusive argument on 

 the subject, to which ho refers in one paragraph but fails to 

 emphasize. Dr. Mortensen, of Copenhagen, has now called my 

 attention to it by leltcr. and I beg you will allow me the space to 

 acknowledge my surrender. 



"While it is true that Echinus cidaris, L., of 1758, is probably 

 Phyllacanthus hacidosa but is not certainly identifiable, there is no 

 escape from the fact that Echinus cidaris, L., of 1761 ('Fauna 

 Suecica '), is the species now universally known as Dorocid'iris 

 2mpillata. Linne's reference to Gaulthieri's figures DandE, platelOS, 

 and omission of all other references, taken in connexion with the 

 statement that the species occurs in Norwegian seas, leaves no room 

 for doubt on the point. Such being the case, Dorocidaris papilhita 

 should hereafter be known as Cidaris cidaris (L.), as suggested by 

 Bather, while ahyssicola and the other species of Dorocidaris become 

 Cidaris ahyssicola, &c. The genus now called CidariJi becomes 

 Eucidaris, Pomel, 1883, who, however, designated no type. Dcider- 

 lein in 1887 uses Eucidaris in Pomel's sense, and as he mentions 

 metularia first, we may very conveniently consider that species the 

 genotype. I regret that by overlooking the ' Fauna Suecica ' I 

 have needlessly prolonged an unfortunate controversy. 



HcBEET Lyman Claek. 



Museum of Comparative Zoology, 



Cambridge, Mass., 



Nov. 30, 1908. 



Note. — Since Professor Lyman Clark has most courteously trans- 

 mitted this letter through me, may I express my satisfaction that 

 at any rate four of us have come to an agreement about Cidaris 

 s. str. ? Further, I see no objection to the adoj^tion of Eucidaris, 

 Pomel, with genotype E. metularia. We may well suppose that 

 the " trois especes vivantes '"' of Pomel's list were Cidaris metularia, 

 C. tribidoides, and C. thouarsi. Let us hope that Professor Dbder- 

 lein will give up Cidarites, and return to his earlier choice — 

 Eucidaris. F. A. Bathee. 



Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist), 

 10th Dec. 1908. 



