Canon A. M. Norman on British Amphipoda. 12D 



wood are different stages of development of the male of this 

 species. Bovallius regards Flyperia Latreillei, M.-Ed\v., as 

 a distinct species ; but T agree with Sars in considering that 

 the differences indicated are insufficient for specific distinc- 

 tion, and are in a great measure dependent on the ages of the 

 individuals examined. Yet, further, I am unable to hold tlie 

 llyperia spiniyera, Bovallius, as entitled to specific rank. 

 The chief characters assigned are the spination of the two 

 pairs of gnathopods and the form of the uropods. With 

 respect to the gnathopods, I find that in young specimens of 

 H. galha the spines are sparingly developed, in middle-sized 

 individuals they become more numerous ; in large examples I 

 find them, as in H. spinigera (Bovallius, I.e. pi. x. figs. 34-36), 

 encircling tlie extremities of the carpus of the gnathopods 

 and well developed at the dorsal corners. The other points 

 Bovallius especially emphasizes are the short branches of the 

 last uropods. Now in the male sex the branches of the last 

 uropods are always shorter than are those of the female (com- 

 pare Sars, pi. ii. fig. ua and pi. ii. fig. 1 us) ; and it is a male 

 which is the subject of Bovallius's figures. Should other 

 authors disagree with my views in this matter, the female 

 specimens of H. galha taken by me at Birturbuy Bay and the 

 one taken off Valentia by the * Porcupine ' are, from the 

 character of their gnathopods, to be referred to H. spinigera. 

 The Cancer medusarum of Miiller's ' Prodromus ' was 

 applied by O. Fabricius, in his ' Fauna Groenlandica,' under 

 the name Oniscus medusarum, to H. galha, and he has been 

 followed by many authors. The Meloecus medusarum (Fabr.), 

 Kroyer and other authors, is Hyperoche tauriformis (Bate & 

 Westwood*). Lastly, Bovallius, Hansen, and Sars now 

 consider the specific name medusarum [Cancer medusarum^ 

 Mliller) to belong to Hyperia spinipes of Boeck. Miiller 

 applied the specific name to the animal described by Strom, 

 and they doubtless think that weight must be attached to 

 Strom's description of the first two pairs of legs as " hirsute 

 and fluffy, truncated at the apex.'^ Hyperia medusarv 

 (Miiller) thus considered, of which the H. spinipes, Boe- 

 becomes a synonym, has not yet been found in our se. 

 Talitrus cyanece, Sabine, is indeed regarded as a synonym . 

 II. medusarum [ = spinipes), but what the Hyperia cyanei 

 of Bate and Westwood (vol. ii. p. 521) may be it seenu 



* I first found this species in Shetland, and soon afterwards T. Edward 

 procured it at Banff, and sent a specimen to me and another to Bate. I 

 recorded the specimens I had seen in my Shetland report as Metoecua 

 inedusarum, Kroyer ; Bate aud Westwood did not recognize Edward's 

 specimen as a known form, and described it as Hyperia tauri/ortnis, a 

 name which now stands. 



Ann. <fc Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 7. Vol. v. 9 



