I. '08. 106 



R. 29.— 17/8 /'06.— 15 miles S.E. by S. of Mine Hea(i,Co.Waterford. 

 40-42 fathoms. Trawl. Bottom temperature, 9 • 6° C. — 

 Four, 17-19 mm. 



S. 553.— 16/8 /'07.— 10 miles E. of Bailey Lighthouse, Co. Dublin. 

 41-52 fathoms. Trawl— Twelve, 18-37 mm. 



Veriical range. — This species is usually found between 20 

 and 50 fathoms, but has occurred in deeper water down to 

 524 fathoms (Smith, 1882). 



Spirontocaris Cranchi (Leach). 



PI. XV, figs. 1-5. 



Hippolyte Cranchii, Bell, 1853, fig., p. 288. 

 Spirontocaris Cranchii, Norman and Scott, 1906 iubi 

 syn.). 



This common littoral species has only very occasionally been 

 met with during the investigations of the Helga, and, in 

 consequence, no opportunity for observing the range of 

 colouration has been forthcoming. A common form, is semi- 

 transparent with dark purplish brown blotchings, but 

 numerous other varieties doubtless occur. 



S. Cranchi seems to differ from all the other British species 

 of Spirontocaris in the possession of six instead of seven seg- 

 ments to the carpus of the second pair of pereiopods (fig. 5). 

 The rostrum, wath its characteristic bifurcate apex, is shown 

 in fig. 3 ; fig. 4 represents the trifid variety originally de- 

 scribed as Yarrelli. 



Size. — The largest specimen in the collection measures 19 

 mm., but specimens a few millimetres longer have been ob- 

 served. 



General distribution. — S. Cranchi occurs commonly from 

 west Norway to the Mediterranean. The principal records 

 are : — w^est and south Norway (Sars and Norman), Sweden 

 (Goes), Denmark (Meinert), Belgium (van Beneden), north 

 coast of France (Milne-Edwards and Bouchard-Chantereaux) , 

 west coast of France (Barrois and Fischer), Mediterranean 

 and Adriatic (Carus, Heller, etc.). 



This species is abundant on the south coast of England, and 

 has also been recorded from the east and west coasts. In 

 Scotch waters it is known from both east and west, and has 

 been taken near the Shetlands. 



Irish distribution. — S. Cranchi is probably common all 

 round the Irish coast. It has been recorded from Bangor, Co. 

 Down, and Whitehead, Co. Antrim (Kinahan), Lambay 

 (Rankin), Dublin and Killiney Bays (Kinahan), Cork 

 (Kinahan), Kenmare Biver (Dub. Mus.), Dingle Bay and 



