608 Transactions of the Society. 



XIII. — On Four New Species of the Genus Floscularia, and Five 

 other New Species of Botifera. 



By C. T. Hudson, LL.D., F.E.M.S. 



{Emd 12,th May, 1885.) 

 Plate XII. 



When in 1883 I described in the pages of this Journal four new 

 species of Floscules, I did not anticipate that, in two years' time, I 

 should have as many more to add to the genus ; and yet such is 

 the case. 



Scotland sends us two; one (discovered by Mr. J. Hood, of 

 Dundee) with only two lobes, and one (discovered by Mr. W. 

 Dingwall, of Dundee) without any lobes at all ; so that there is 

 now a regular series of Floscules with 7, 5, 3, 2 and lobes. 



England, however, caps these additions to our rotiferous fauna, 

 with two of the strangest species that have yet been found in the 

 genus Floscularia. The one has setae which appear to be always in 

 motion, each slowly extending and contracting in amoeboid fashion, 

 but always in the direction of its length. The other, to the horror 

 of every classifier, is a swimming Floscule ; and, as if that were not 

 absurdity enough, it carries its eyes nearly at the summit of its 

 dorsal lobe. 



The former of these was discovered by Mr. W. G. Cocks, of the 

 Quekett Club, and the latter by Mr. T. Bolton, of Birmingham. 

 Mr. Bolton has also added to his swimming Floscule a solitary 

 swimming Gonochilus, with an extraordinary pair of antennae ; a 

 large new Notommata with four spiky antennae ; and a new species 

 in each of Mr. Grosse's rare genera Taphrocampa and Pompholyx ; 

 while Mr. J. Hood has found yet another species of the rapidly 

 extending genus Stephanops. 



Indeed, the record of the last three or four years shows how 

 many pleasant surprises Nature has yet in store for us, if there were 

 only reapers for the harvest. If the Scotch lakes and the English 

 ponds have contributed so many new and strange forms, when 



EXPLANATION OF PLATE XII. 



Fig. I. — Floscularia mutaUlis (at rest). 



„ 2. — „ ,, (swimming). 



„ 3. — „ „ male. 



„ 4. — Conoc/ulus dosstcaiius. 



„ 5. — Notommata spicata. 



■ ,, 6. — Stephanops armatas. 



„ 7. — Pompholyx sulcata (side view). 



„ 8. — „ „ (front view). 



,; 9. — Taphrocampa Saundersias. 



