of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



161 



Lernceenicus sprattce (Sowerby). (PI. VIL, figs. 7-10.) 



1806. Lerncea spratta, Sowerby, Brit. Miscell., vol. ii., p. 17, PI. 

 LXVIII. 



1850. Lerneonema spratta, Baird, op. cit., p. 341, PI. XXXV., 

 fig. 10. 



187G. Lernceenicus sprattce, Richiardi, Atti. della Soc. Tosc, 

 vol. iii. 



1891. Lerneonema spratta, T. Scott, Ninth Ann. Rep. Fish. 

 Board Scot., Pt. III., p. 306. 



In August 1890 my son, Mr. John Scott, observed a sprat, or a small 

 herring, he was not sure which, swimming about in one of the Leith 

 Docks with a Lernceenicus attached to one of its eyes, but he failed to 

 capture it. My son, Mr. Andrew Scott, has obtained the species in the 

 Morecambe Bay district of Lancashire and has sent me one or two sprats 

 for examination, having the parasite in situ, and the drawing on Plate VII. 

 represents one of these sprats with the parasite attached to its eye (fig. 

 7). One of the sprats sent me for examination has no fewer than three 

 specimens of Lernceenicus attached to one of its eyes. Figure 8 represents 

 a Lernceenicus, which my son dissected, from the eye of a sprat. This 

 specimen exhibits the thorax as having a moniliform structure a short 

 distance posterior to the head. The head is provided with the barbed pro- 

 cesses peculiar to these organisms. The head is also furnished with distinct 

 though small antennules, but it is doubtful if these can be of any use to 

 the animal ; the antennules are represented by figure 7. The antennie, 

 though small, have the end-joints chekeform and well adapted for grasping 

 (fig. 10). The length of the specimen figured is about seven-tenths of an 

 inch (18mm.), exclusive of the ovisacs, and if the length of the ovisacs be 

 added the total length reaches to about 43mm., or "cue inch and three- 

 fourths. 



Genus Lerncea, Linn. (1767). 



This genus contains what appear to be the most degraded of the 

 copepod parasites of fishes. It requires some stretch of the imagination 

 to associate the large, mature, and bizarre-looking female Lerncea 

 with the elegant and agile Cyclops, yet in their early stages of growth the 

 two are not very dissimilar. Lerncea was placed by Linnaeus amongst 

 the Mollusca in the Class Vermes. 



Lerncea branchialis, Linn. (PI. VIL, figs. 11 and 12.) 



1767. Lerncea branchialis, Linn., Syst. Nat., 12th ed., p. 1092. 



This well-known fish parasite is moderately common. We have 

 records of it from various places around the Scottish coasts, as the Firths 

 of Forth and Clyde, and the Moray Firth. Also on haddocks landed at 

 the Fish Market at Aberdeen. 



The species appears to vary to some extent. The specimen represented 

 by figure 11 is probably the more common form; it is distinguished by 

 having a moderately long neck, similar to that shown by Dr. Baird.* 

 Another form with a much shorter neck is represented by figure 12. 



Lerncea minuta, n. sp. (PI. VIL, fig. 13.) 



Description of the Female. — Length of the specimen figured, about 

 three-tenths of an inch (8mm.). Cephalic lobe somewhat dilated, horns 



* Brit. Entom., PI. XXXV,, fig. 12. 



