36 
SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
Brachjpates , with Z. oblonga as the species ; and Feltria g. n., with F. 
minuta as the species. 
Hydra chnidae.* * * § — Herr F. Koenike has some criticisms to make 
on Piersig’s recent papers on Hydrachnids. These criticisms refer to 
the specific characters of Arrenurus bisulcicodulus Piersig, to Piersig’s 
account of the nymph stages of Brachypoda ( Axona ) versicolor , and other 
forms, and to various questions of purely systematic interest. 
Freshwater Mites.f — Herr R. Piersig describes the larvae of Midea 
orbiculata Bruz, Mideopsis depressa Neum., and has notes on Axona 
versicolor , Pachygaster tau insignatus, Marica musculus, Hydrodroma , and 
others. 
South American Pantopoda.J — Hr. W. Sehimkewitsch has described 
the Pantopoda collected on the ‘ Yettor Pisani ’ expedition. They 
include the following new species : — Tanystylum Bohrnii , T. calicirostre , 
T. Chierchise, Ammothea Wilsoni, besides Pallenopsis flnminensis Kr., 
Phoxichilidium longicolle Ph., Phoxichilus charybdseus Dohrn, and 
Nymphon gracile Leach. A useful table of the species of Tanystylum 
is given. 
€. Crustacea. 
Habits of Gelasimus annulipes.§ — Dr. A. Alcock finds that the 
enormously developed chela of the male of this common Indian crab is 
two and a half times the greatest length, and one and a half times the 
greatest breadth of the whole body ; it is forty per cent, of the entire 
weight of the animal, and is of a beautiful cherry-red colour which fades 
to rose-pink. Whether this chela serves as a stopper to the mouth 
of the burrow or as a nuptial support, it is certainly, in this species, 
used as a club in the contests of the rival males and is a signal to charm 
and allure the females. If a female (the number of females in the cold 
weather is much less than that of the males) approaches the burrow of a 
male, the latter displays the greatest excitement, raising itself on its 
hindmost legs, dancing and stamping, and frantically waving its beauti- 
fully coloured big claw. When used as a club, these little crabs make 
savage backhanded sweeps at each other with their chelae, which appear 
to serve also as a shears. 
Germinal Area and Dorsal Organ of Gammarus pulex.|| — Prof. 
R. S. Bergh points out that in very young stages the germinal streak of 
Gammarus pulex lies transversely across one half of the egg, and that it 
gradually twists round, through a right angle, until its longitudinal 
axis is in a line with that of the ovum. The dorsal organ, regarded as 
originally asymmetrical in position, is not really so. From the first it 
lies on the middle of the back. The germinal streak changes its 
position ; the dorsal organ does not. 
* Zool. Anzeig., xv. (1892) pp. 263-8 (2 figs.). 
t Tom. eit., pp. 338-43 (7 figs.). 
X Atti (Mem.) R. Accad. Lincei Roma, vi. (1890) pp. 329-47 (1 pi.). 
§ Administr. Rep. Marine Survey of India, 1891-2. See Ann. and Mag., x. 
(1892) pp. 415-6. 
U Zool. Anjzeig., xv. (1892) pp. 268-71. 
