30 ON THE CIIILOI'ODA OF NORTH AMERICA. 



arrangement of spines on the inner superior margin. If a comparison of specimens 



were practicable, other differences would doubtless be detected. 



249 | 3 | Porto Praya, Cape de Verde Is]. | N. Pacific Expl. Exp. | Win. Stimpson, M. D. | Unc. 2g | 



?S. subspinipes, Leach — S. castanea; scutorum marginibus lateralibus posterioribusque viridibus, pedibus 

 flavis ; capite punctata ; segmento-cephalico ovate, baud cordate, prebasali nullo, basali magno, lata; 

 antennis 18 articulatis; labio convexo, leviter punctate, medio canaliculate; laminis dcntalibus brevibus, 

 latis, margine antico subrotundato ; denticulis 10, parvis, indistinctis, valde coadunatis; pedibus pos- 

 trerais gracilibus, subcomplanatis; articulo basali intus subtusque bispinoso, processu angulari elongate, 

 curvato, bispinoso; articulo tibial! basali fere sequali ; appendicibus analibus lateralibus modice brevibus, 

 valde punctatis, apice excurvato, laevi, bispinoso ; squama preanali subquadrata, media canaliculuta, 

 margine posteriore rotundato. 



S. subspinipes, Leach, Linn. Trans, xi. p. 383 ; Zool. Misc. iii. p. 41 ; Enc. Brit. Suppl. p. 440. 



S. subspinipes, Newp, Linn. Trans, six. p. 389. 



Not S. subspinipes of Gervais, Ann. Soc. En torn., 2d series, vol. ii. part 2d, p. 21, 

 nor S. subspinipes of Gervais, Apteres, iv. p. 262, which are probably different species, 

 neither, apparently, agreeing with S. subspinipes of Gervais, Ann. Sci. Nat. 1837, 

 p. 50, which also is not S. subspinipes of Leach, but is S. Gervaisii, Newp., Linn. 

 Trans, xix. p. 390, which is S. Newportii, Lucas, Alger, p. 343, (note;) Gervais, 

 Apteres, iv. p. 281 ; Newp. Catal. British Museum, (Myriapoda,) p. 30. 



Not S. subspinipes, Brandt, Mem. Ins. Myriap. p. 59 ; Lucas, Hist. Nat. Anim. art. 

 iv. p. 544, sp. 5, which is S. Newportii, Lucas.* 



We refer our individual to S. subspinipes, Leach with great doubt. On comparing 

 it with the description of Newport, we find it differs in the following particulars : — 

 The head is not at all cordate ; the labium is punctate and furnished with ten teeth ; 

 the lateral anal appendages have their apices somewhat everted; the preanal scale is 

 not triangular. Our diagnosis is not one of S. subspinipes of Leach, but of the indi- 

 vidual before us, drawn up to aid some future naturalist in identifying or separating 

 the species. We have never seen an undoubted specimen of S. subspinipes, Leach. 

 286 | 1 | Aspinwall. | Mr. Rivell. | | Unc. 4 | 



?S. Sandwichiana, Gervais, Apt. iv. p. 276. 



Owing to the meagreness of M. Gervais' description, we refer this animal to his 

 species with very many doubts. It seems to us that the practice of describing species 

 in any department of natural history, in two or three- lines ought to be reprobated, 

 but especially so, in those branches where the various characters have not as yet 

 received their proper specific interpretation. In this, as in other cases, we have had 

 to depend to a considerable extent on the locality in the identification. It would have 

 been well if succeeding authors had availed themselves more fully of the light thrown 

 on this class of animals by Mr. Newport, whose descriptions much exceed those of any 



* For authority of much of the synonymy given, see note in Explor. Scient. de L'Algerie, p. 343. A slight 

 comparison of M. Gervais' descriptions shows that they differ inter se. 



