STATE GEOLOGIST. 183 



FAMILY harpacticid;e. 



Genus Amyone, Claus. 



Body much compressed; dorsal margin strongly curved; head 

 very large, produced and angled below; antennae 6- to 8-jointed; 

 antennules palpate, 3-jointed; second maxillipeds long, chelate at 

 the end; last thoracic and anterior abdominal segments enlarged; 

 fifth feet leaf-like, large, 



A very small crustacean, little over ^ mm. long, occurs in the 

 gulf of Mexico in shallow water among vegetation. Insufficient 

 material prevented its complete study, but it is nearly allied to A. 

 splicerica, Claus, from which it differs in several particulars. 



I can do no better than quote the remarks of Claus, the original 

 discoverer of this peculiar genus. 



" The body of this highly remarkable form, represents, in its 

 general form, an intermediate stage between the nauplius (cyclops 

 larvae) and the mature copepods. The oval, almost spherical form, 

 the slight development of the abdomen and the enlargement of the 

 anterior thoracic segment recall the structure of the larva, while 

 the almost complete segmentation of the body, the jointing of the 

 antennas and the swimming feet, as well as development of the re- 

 productive organs, make the maturity of the creature certain. "" 

 (Beitr. zur Kenntniss der Entomnstraken.) 



Genus Laophonte, Philippi. 



Rather slender; antennae 4-, 8-jointed; palp of antennules 

 1-jointed; mandibular palp l-or-2-jointed; maxillae palpate; first pair 

 of feet slender, outer branch short, 3-jointed, inner branch elon- 

 gated, 2-jointed; three following pairs with one ramus 3-, the other 

 2-jointed. 



Laoplionte siniilis, Claus? 



The small crustacean which is referred to the above species oc- 

 curs sparingly in the brackish waters of Mobile bay, and with 

 Temora seems to be the only entomostracean not also found in the 

 fresh waters adjacent. 



From the fbw specimens found it could not be certainly deter- 

 mined that our species is identical with the European. The dif- 

 ferences are, however, such as might be expected in imaiature speci- 



