Clare Island Survey. 



45 

 MARINE ENTOMOSTRACA. 



By G. P. FAEEAN, B.A. 

 Plates I-IIT. 



Read JixrAEY 27. Published April 11, 1913. 



The sources from which the lists of species of the various groups included in 

 this paper (comprising, as they do, many records other than those obtained 

 during the Clare Island Survey) are taken, are given in detail at the head of 

 each group. 



The lists themselves vary very much in completeness. The Cladocera, four 

 in number, probably include all that usually occur on this part of the coast. 

 The Ostracoda, numbering 85, comprise two-thirds of those recorded from the 

 west coast of Ireland, and doubtless represent about the same proportion of 

 the fauna of the district. 



The Copepoda number 159, about 30 of these being free-swimming, 

 more or less planktonic forms, and the remainder littoral or living on the 

 bottom. The former section is probably fairly complete, the species com- 

 prising it being few in number and uniformly distributed ; but the latter must 

 be regarded merely as a preliminary list, since it is probable that, if more time 

 were given to collecting and working out the results, the number of species 

 would be more than doubled. The Cirripede list only contains a few of the 

 commoner forms whose presence has been casually noted. 



The material, as a whole, being so far from complete, it would be unprofit- 

 able to compare the entomostracan fauna with those of other localities, 

 very few of which, it may be remarked, are any better known, or to discuss 

 the respective faunas of different parts of the district. 



Attention may be called, however, to one dredging, made in May, 1909, 

 in 24 fathoms off the mouth of Killary Harbour, which contained a large 

 number of scarce species of Copepods. The bottom consisted of finely broken 

 shells with a slight admixture of sand and stones. Out of eighteen species 



R.I. A. PROC, VOL. XXXI. A 55 



