984 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



spermatozoa from their copulatory pouch. Fecundation, in fact, is 

 effected by a special adaptation of a lobe of the buccal membrane, 

 which is nothing else than a rudimentary arm. 



Loligopsis and Allied Genera.*— Mr. W. E. Hoyle comes to the 

 conclusion that the genus Loligopsis admits of no adequate diagnosis, 

 and must therefore be used for the type species only — L. peronii of 

 Lamarck. Synonymous with the generic name Taonius given by 

 Steenstrup are Desmoteuthis of Verrill, Procalistes of Lankester, and 

 Phasmotopsis of de Eochebrune, and in it are to be placed T. pavo and 

 T. hyperhoreus which some naturalists have assigned to LoUgopsis. A 

 definition of this genus, as of Leachia, is given in terms which will 

 satisfy the requirements of modern zoologists. 



The term " Verrill's organ " is applied to an apparatus found in 

 all but one species of Taonius ; it consists of two pads lying within 

 the funnel, near its base, and a little posterior to them in the middle 

 line there are one or two tubercles. Loligopsis chrysophthalmos and 

 L. zygsena are two small Cephalopods of uncertain generic position, 

 and it seems to be doubtful whether we shall ever know enough about 

 them to give them a definite allocation. 



Distribution of Chitin.t— Dr. C.F. W. Krukenberg has investigated 

 the presence of chitin in the Cephalopoda, &c. In Sepiola rondeletii, as 

 in Octopus, Eledone, Sepia, and Loligo, it is only present in the jaws. 

 In Spirula the septa of the shell and the siphon are chitinous, while the 

 general covering of the shell contains but little of this substance. 

 No chitin could be found in the shell of Argonauta, while that of 

 Nautilus contained plenty, though there was no such specialization in 

 chemical structure of the different regions of the shell as in Spirula. 

 The Brachiopoda contain abundant chitin ; in Lingula anatina, not 

 merely the shell but the stalk are largely composed of chitin. 

 Among the Lamellibranchiata the shell of Mytilus edulis appears to 

 contain no chitin, and indeed this order, as well as the Gastropoda, 

 are characterized by the absence of chitin. 



New Cephalopoda. I — Mr. W. E. Hoyle continues his diagnosis 

 of the new species of Cephalopods collected by the ' Challenger,' some 

 of which are represented by one example only, and have not always 

 been completely dissected. The two new genera Promachoteuthis and 

 Histiopsis have been already indicated in the ' Narrative ' of the 

 ' Challenger ' Expedition ; there is a new subgenus of Sepia — 

 Metasepia. 



Anatomy of Dentaliuni.§ — Prof. H. de Lacaze-Duthiers referring 

 to Prof. Fol's inability to find the efferent canal for the genital products 

 which the former had described, describes the method of preparation 

 by which this canal, which is very difficult to detect, can be made out. 

 He fully understands that the apparatus is one which may be very 

 easily overlooked. Prof. Fol had employed the method of sections, 



* Proc. R. Phys. Soc. Edin., 1885, pp. 313-33. 

 t Zool. Anzeig., viii. (1885) pp. 412-5. 

 i Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist, xvi. (1885) pp. 181-203 

 § Comptes Rendus, ci. (1885) pp. 296-300. 



