39 60 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



What I assume to be the protonymph of C. hirtus occurs abundantly 

 on the Irish coast. I was at first inclined to believe that it belonged to 

 another species, chiefly on account of the rather differently armed ambulacra, 

 which have two broad upper lobes, however, there is no reason why these 

 organs should not undergo modification as the creature reaches maturity. 



Cyrthydrolaelaps hirtus Berl. (PI. V, fig. 8a-g.) 



1904. 0. hirtus Berlese 7, p. 19. 



Mulranny, the 5 , 6 and nymphs occurred under stones partly imbedded 

 in sandy mud. about four or five feet below high-water mark, September ; 

 Westport, July. I have also found this species on the Dublin coast 

 (Malahide and Howth), running actively on the exposed limestone rocks, 

 and also under stones between tide-marks in ilay and June. 



Female. — Length 1'331/x, breadth 768^. Colour a golden-brown, resem- 

 bling Gamasolaelaps. Shape, oblong ovate, end of the body double-margined. 

 Dorsum with the usual two plates, clothed with long bristles ; the second 

 plate smaller, with a truncated hinder margin. Sternal shield long, reaching 

 to the end of the third coxae, emarginate in front, and there are three pairs 

 of long hairs. Jugularia absent. Genital shield narrow in front, widening 

 into a broad, bilobed extremity ; the front margin has a small, deep concavity 

 at each side, from which springs a spur-like process, and between these is the 

 circular genital foramen. Ventral and anal shields much as in Cyrtolaelaps. 

 The peritreme originates opposite the base of the first legs, and runs in a 

 slightly sinuate line to the stigma opposite the fourth legs. Tritosternum 

 with a long, slender stem and two filaments. The epistome is described by 

 Berlese as follows — " Epistcma spina media longa, acuta, nuda, utrinque 

 ad basim mucronato-bispinosum." In Irish specimens the long central 

 spine is undulate, ornamented by minute spines. Maxillary processes 

 of moderate size, curved and articulated much as in Eugamasus. On 

 the maxillary plate are four pairs of long hairs, the hinder pairs are widely 

 separated. Chelicerae, fixed chela armed, distally. with three low, rounded 

 teeth; free chela with one blunt tooth in addition to the more acuminate 

 terminal one. Legs very long, clothed with long bristles. 



Male (fig. 8a). — The largest of my specimens measures 1228ju, by 716^, 

 shape and armature of the dorsum much as in the female, the second shield 

 is larger, reaching to the posterior margin of the body. Sternal shield very 

 broad in front, terminating in a rounded extremity close to the small anal 

 shield, and with lateral extensions which partly enclose the last pair of 

 coxae. The genital foramen lies in a concavity in the front margin of the 



