41 
Sagitta maxima Ritter-Zåhony 1910, p. 264. 
En rå Ds arie hexaptera Levinsen 1885, p. 341. 
- Strodtmann 1892, p. 10. 
This widely distributed species, occurring in great abundance 
in several localities, was not described until 1896 (Conant). It 
has frequently been confounded with Sagitta hexaptera (see the 
introduction, p. 19). Michael (1911) identifies $. maxima with 
S. lyra Krohn. The said author has seen three of Conant's type 
specimens and three type specimens of $. gigantea Broch and he is 
unable to find any differences of importance between these spec- 
imens and the San Diego specimens of SS. lyra. Michael tries 
to prove his assertion by means of numerous measurements, and 
he finds that the relative dimensions are the same in both forms. 
Germain (1913) also declares that $. maxima is a large cold- 
water variety of S. lyra. As I have not had the opportunity of 
comparing specimens of the two species, I shall not enter upon a 
discussion of their presumed identity; the descriptions and mea- 
Surements published by Ritter-Zåhony seem to me, however, 
distinctly to contradict the theory of the identity of the species. 
As the full-grown S. maxima is double the size of $. Iyra it 
must be, in any case, a giant variety, and it will be correct, there- 
fore, to discuss the distribution and other biological habits of the 
two forms separately. 
According to Ritter-Zåhony Sagitta maxima is found under 
Every latitude and belongs to the mesoplankton. Only in the cold 
areas it raises to the lower epiplankton, particularly young indiv- 
iduals (see below). 
In the material of the "Tjalfe" expedition this species is very 
numerous, but it has been found exclusively in the atlantic water, 
I, e, within the investigated part of the Atlantic, the Davis Strait 
Outside the banks, and in two of the deep fjords. 
In the Atlantic it was taken in abundance during April—May 
1908 and 1909, and September —October 1908. In September 
1909 it was not found, apparently because the hauls were made 
too near to the surface. Regarding the preserved material from 
this region we will find, that $. maxima was caught by every 
haul with 175—2000 m wire, i. e. about 115 to 1350 m below 
