Beaumont — Fauna and Flora of Valencia Harbour, Ireland. 807 



half grown compared "with those foTind in some localities. A 

 number of them deposited ova in onr laboratory in May, some- 

 of which developed to the plannla stage. 



Maliclystus has been known on the Atlantic coast of Europe 

 since the beginning of the century, and has been described by a 

 number of the older naturalists under the names Lucernaria 

 auricula and L. octoradiatus. 



As to the possibility of recognizing two distinct species the 

 authorities do not agree, and, moreover, if two distinct species- 

 be recognised, both specific names have been applied to 

 each species by one author or another. Any fresh attempt to 

 unravel this tangle or to re-determine the species described by 

 the older natui'alists is outside my present purpose. I nave- 

 deemed it sufficient to rely on the descriptions of James Clark 

 and of Haeckel. These are substantially in agreement, and it 

 must be understood that in what follows the specific names 

 S. auricula and S. octwadiatus are invariably used in accord- 

 ance with the definitions of those authors. 



"With regard to the distribution of the two species defined by 

 them, however, James Clark and Haeckel differ. The former 

 considered that there were two totally distinct European species : 

 one, the Lucernaria auricula of Eathke,^ Johnston, and others, 

 which he regarded as identical specifically with the common 

 American form, the subject of his elaborate monograph in the 

 Smithsonian Contributions ; the other the Lacernaria octoradiata 

 of Sars and Keferstein,^ of which he gives a description in his 

 "Prodromus," founded on those of the last-named naturalists,. 

 and confirmed by an inspection of some young specimens 

 received from Keferstein. James Clark does not appear to have 

 had an opportunity of examining HaMclystus auncida from 

 Eui'ope, but American specimens sent by him to Michael Sars- 

 were pronounced by the latter to be the " L. octoradiata, Lamarck 

 (Z. auricula, Johnston, Sars olim, non Fabricius)," Sars ap- 

 parently holding his own H. octoradiata to be distinct from 

 that of Lamarck. 



Haeckel takes a different view. His H. octoradiatus and 

 H. auricula are defined in accordance with the descriptions of 



iMiiller's Zool. Danica, iv., 1806, p. 35. 



2 Sars, Skandinav. Naturforsch. Kjobnh., 1860, p. 693; Keferstein, Zeitschi-ift. 

 Wissenschaft. Zool., 1862, p. 2 et seq. 



