91 



TWO <NEW AUSTRALIAN PYCXOGONIDA. 



By Professor T. Thomson Flynn, 



University of Tasmania. 



(With 2 plates and G figures). 



[MSS. in full received 31st October, 1918. Read in 

 abstract 12th Augnst, 1918.] 



(1) Introduction. 



There is no' doubt that the interest shown in the 

 Antarctic forms of Pycnogonida, and the problems raised 

 by the study of this remarkable group of animals in the 

 Southern Polar Regions, have made it advisable, or even 

 necessary, that detailed attention and study should be 

 given to the Australian forms. However, no work has 

 been published on the Fycnogonida of the Australian 

 Coast since Professor Haswell's paper (i) in 1884, except 

 a short paper written by myself (2) on Halosoma hasivelli. 



I have, therefore, no hesitation in presenting a des- 

 cription of two new Australian forms, more especially 

 as they represent genera not previously described from this 

 part of the world, and they distinctly help in settling 

 certain problems of distribution, especially in re- 

 lation to the genusi Ammothea. These new species belong 

 to the genera Pycnogonum, Brunn., and Ammothea, Leach. 

 The only Pycnogonum recorded from Ausitralia is P. 

 aastrale, Grube (3), described in 1869. I have not seen the 

 original description of this species, but it is mentioned 

 in Hoek'si (4) list and also in HasweiU's. Loman (5) 

 points out, with good reason, that the species is no't 

 recognisable from the description. It was founded 

 upon a larval form with three pairs of legs and 

 tracieis of a foiurth pair. It was also' described as 

 jx)ssessing like P. 2:)?isj7/-w?«, Dohrn (^) small accessory 

 claws. The species of Ammothm. described as new in the 

 present communication, is the first of the genus recorded 

 as being found in Australia. Haswell's Anvmotliea asnmilis. 

 (1) from Port Jackson will now rank as an Achelia and 

 hisi Ammothea longicollis Q-) as an Ascorhynchus* 



* For the privilege of examining Professor Haswell's types, of whioh 

 I propose shortly to iss-a© a redes^ription, I am ind'Sbtedj to tJie Trus- 

 tees of the AU'Straliian Museum, and to their courteous Director and 

 Curator, Mr. Robert Etherid^e, Jun. 



