269 



NOTES ON THE CLASSIFICATION 



AND GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE 



CEPHALOCHORDA. 



By Walter M. Tatters all, B.Sc, 



Scholar in Zoology of Victoria University and of University College, 

 Liverpool. 



[Read January 9th, 1903.] 



The following notes are the first results of an examina- 

 tion of the collection of Lancelets made by Professor 

 Herdman during his recent visit to Ceylon, a collection 

 which he was kind enough to place in my hands for 

 examination and description. The detailed results of 

 that examination will appear in Professor Herdman's 

 Report on the expedition, and it will suffice now if I 

 mention that the collection was a very rich and extensive 

 one, consisting of 100 specimens belonging to no fewer 

 than seven different species. Opportunity was thus afforded 

 to study a series of specimens of several species as yet 

 but little known, especially Branchiostoma beJcheri, which 

 has hitherto been found very sparingly. 



As the examination of Professor Herdman's collection 

 proceeded certain inconsistencies became apparent in the 

 diagnoses of the various species of the group. It is these 

 inconsistencies that I wish to discuss now, adding in 

 addition a few notes on the geographical distribution. 

 The history of the speciography and classification of the 

 Cephalochorda has been detailed several times, but I 

 think that for the sake of clearness and completeness it 

 will be well to repeat it once more. 



Y 



