S44 Mr. G. B. Sowerby on a new Genus ofCirripedes. 



Art. XXVIII. On anew Genus of Cirripedes. ^^ G. B. 

 Sowerby, Esq. F.L.S., SfC. 



OCTOMERIS. 



Testa subconica, valvis octo, iniEqualibus, lateraliter conferrutni- 

 natis, coraposita ; apice pervio, basi adhaerente (valva testa- 

 cea clausd ?) Operculum bipartitum, valvis quatuor com- 

 positum, anticis majoribus. 



It may, perhaps, be interesting to our readers to trace with us 

 the history of our knowledge of the singular class of animals to 

 which the present new Genus belongs : thus if we begin with the 

 Linnean System, where the entire class forms but one Genus 

 under the name of Lepas^ we must be convinced of the truly 

 natural character of the Genus, as well as of the finely arranged 

 views of that Father of Natural History as a science. The Lin- 

 nean Lepas was by Bruguieres divided into two genera, under the 

 appellations of Balanus and Anatija (rightly Anatifera), which 

 divisions correspond exactly with those of Lamarck, which he 

 designates by the terms Cirripedes sessiles et Cirripedes pedon- 

 culees. V/e shall, however, find that our countryman. Leach, 

 has been the first to define in an able manner the genera into 

 which the family should be divided : having, in the first instance, 

 formed the tvto primary divisions of sessile and peduncidatedy 

 under the terms Campy losomata and Acamptosomata^ he divided 

 the former into Balanus, Acasta, Creusia, Pyrgoma, Clitia, Tubi- 

 cinella, Coronula, Chelonobia, Conia, &c. ; and the latter into 

 Pentalasmis (the same as Anatifa, Brug.) Pollicipes, Scal- 

 •pellum, Otion, Cineras, and others.* Not, however, finding these 

 divisions to be sufficient, he has in manuscript, on the boards of 

 the collection at the British Museum, proposed several other 

 genera, which, as he has not any where given the characters of 

 them, we cannot further enter upon. We would only observe, 

 that M. Ranzani, in his Mem. di Sioria Naiurale, proposes a new 

 division of the family, separating the Balanidae from the Pentalas- 

 mida?, and giving the characters of the following genera, as form- 

 ing t!te family of Balanidai : 1st. Asemus (the same as Conia of 

 Leach, Polytrema, De Ferussac, and Tetraclita of Schumacher, 

 according to De Ferussac.) 2nd, Ochthosia, (the same as Clitia, 



• See p. 208, of tlie present Number. 



