ON TWO SPECIES OF CUMACEA. IN NEW ZEALAND. 263 



On the Occurrence of two Species of Gumacea in New Zealand. 

 By GrEOEGE M. Thomson, E.L.S. 



[Read 17th December, 1891.] 



(Plates X7I.-XVIII.) 



Hitherto no species of Crustacea belonging to the suborder 

 Cumacea have been described from New-Zealand waters. This 

 might be considered somewhat remarkable, considering the 

 attention which has been paid to the whole group, until it is 

 remembered that nearly all the collections hitherto made have 

 been gathered on the coast-line, or from sballow waters withiu 

 sheltered bays or inlets. My own dredgings, from tlie Bay of 

 Islands in the north to the inlets of Stewart Island in the south, 

 have never been taken from a greater depth, than 15 fathoms. 

 During the ' Challenger ' Expedition the dredge was used at two 

 stations, No. 168, off Cape Turuagain, in 1100 fathoms, and. 

 No. 169, oif East Cape, in 700 fathoms. At both of these stations 

 various species of Crustacea were obtained, but no Cumacea. 

 Even in Australian waters no species of this group were re- 

 corded until the publication in 1887 of the E-eport on the 

 Cumacea of the ' Challenger' Expedition by Prof Gr. 0. Sars. 

 This Eeport contains the description of three species o^ Cyclaspis, 

 one from the entrance to Port Phillip in 38 fathoms, and. two 

 from Flinders Passage, between Australia and New Guinea, 

 both taken at a depth o£ 7 fathoms. So far as I know, these are 

 the only Cumaceans described from Australian seas. 



In December, 1883, I had a couple of days' dredging in the 

 Bay of Islands, in the northern portion of this colony, but had no 

 opportunity for a long time of working out any of the material 

 collected. On sorting out, however, I found that a few speci- 

 mens of Cumaceans were among my finds, belonging to the two 

 genera Cyclaspis and Diastylis. In June of last year (1890) I 

 did a little surface-netting at night in Otago (Dunedin) Harbour, 

 and obtained a few immature specimens of the same species of 

 Cyclaspis. No doubt, when more systematic examination of the 

 botrom of our seas and of those round Australia is made with 

 the dredge, other forms and in greater abundance of individuals 

 will be brought to light. 



LINN. JOUEN. — zoology, TOL. XXIY. 20 



