BIOLOGICAL SURVEY OF WOODS HOLE AND VICINITY. 1 37 



VII. SCHIZOPODA, CUMACEA, STOMATOPODA. 



Little attention has been given to the local representatives of the first of these 

 groups since the work of S. I. Smith in 1879. The majority of the determined species 

 of Schizopoda in our list are included solely upon the authority of Prof. Smith and 

 of Miss Rathbun. Schizopods teem in the local plankton at certain seasons of the 

 year, and specimens are occasionally taken in the dredge, though it is not at all certain 

 that such specimens are actually brought up from the bottom. Only one species from 

 our dredging collections (Nyctiphanes norvcgica) has been definitely identified, since we 

 have unfortunately been unable to find anyone who would undertake the task of 

 determining our local Schizopoda. It will be seen that this order has a greater repre- 

 sentation in each of the foreign lists which have been summarized in our comparative 

 table. In the Plymouth list, indeed, the nurnber is nearly five times as great. 



Members of the order Cumacea are rather common in the Woods Hole plankton, 

 and have occasionally been met with during the dredging. Dr. W. T. Caiman (191 2) 

 has recently prepared a report upon the Cumacea of the U. S. National Museum. 

 Eight of these species are recorded from definite points within the Woods Hole Region, 

 two of them, indeed, being described from specimens obtained locally. One determined 

 species (Leptocuma minor) was taken during the Survey dredging. 



The Stomatopoda are represented in our waters by three species, of which only one 

 (the common "Squilla") is at all familiar. None of these species occur, however, in 

 the dredging records. 



VIII. decapoda. 



This group, comprising the largest and most familiar of our Crustacea, is represented 

 locally by 55 species, including four which are listed doubtfully. These are assignable 

 to 20 families and 37 ( + 2?) genera. Of the total number of species listed by us, 27(4-2?), 

 or almost exactly one-half, were taken during the survey dredging. Many others were 

 collected by our parties along shore, upon gulfweed, or elsewhere, while a few are 

 recorded wholly on the authority of previous writers. Several of the species (Poriunus 

 ordwayi, Areruzus cribrarius, Palmmon tenuicornis, and perhaps Dissodaclylus mellitee) 

 had not, so far as we know, been previously listed for the shores of New England. 



The published sources of information respecting the occurrence of this group are 

 many. The chief contributors, so far as our New England species are concerned, have 

 been S. I. Smith and M. J. Rathbun. 



Smith, in the "Report upon the Invertebrate Animals of Vineyard Sound," listed 

 36 species of decapods, of which not over a third were definitely recorded for specified 

 points within the region, while at least 5 were extralimital. 



In her "List of the Crustacea" ("Fauna of New England" series), Miss Rathbun 

 has included all but four of the decapods comprised in our own list, together with many 

 others which are peculiar to more northern waters. 



Whiteaves lists 34 decapods for the waters of eastern Canada, of which 12 are 

 common to the Woods Hole region. The Plymouth catalogue contains 71 representa- 

 tives of this order, of which only 3 appear to be common to our Woods Hole fauna. 

 Herdman lists 61 decapods for the Irish Sea, while 73 are comprised in Graeffe's catalogue 

 for the Gulf of Trieste. 



