120 
Gen. 11. Ammothea, Leach. 1815. 
Syn. Aehelia, Hodge. 
Slsegtsckaracter. Legemet kort og underssetsigt, nied 
tat sammentramgte Sidefortsatser. Hovedsegmentet mas- 
sivt, med utydelig Hals og qvadratisk Pandedel. Haleseg- 
mentei ikke sondret fra sidste Kropssegnient, smalt cylin- 
driskt, horizontalt. 0ieknuden n*r Forkanten af Hoved- 
segmentet, stserkt ophpiet med tydelige Lindser. Snabelen 
skraat nedadrettet, indknebet ved Basis, tenformig. Sax- 
lemmerne bos fuldt udviklede Individer meget smaa, 2-led- 
dede, sidste Led kugleformigt. Folerne af middelmaadig 
Lsengde, 8 — 9-leddede. De falske Fodder forholdsvis korte, 
uden tydelig Endeklo og med et meget ringe Antal af 
saugtakkede Randtorner. Gangfpdderne korte og robuste, 
ofte piggede ; Laarleddet meget bredt, med det ydre Hjorue 
mere ellcr mindre fremspringendo ; Tarsalleddet sserdeles 
lidet; Fodleddet kraftigt udviklet, mere eller mindre krum- 
met og pigget i Inderkanten; Endekloen stserk, Bikloerne 
vel udviklede. Kjqnsaabningerne hos Hannen |beliggende 
paa Spidsen af et stserkt Fremspring paa 2det Hofteled 
af de 2 bagre Fodpar. 
Bemserkninger. Slsegten Ammothea blev forst op- 
stillet af Leach for cn exotisk Art. hos hvem Saxlemmerne 
endte med en liden, men tydeligt udviklet Chela. I 1864 
underspgte den engelske Natm’forsker, Hodge, en Del smaa 
Pvcnogonideer, hvoraf nogle ganske stemmede overens med 
Leach’s Skegt, medens andre, skjcmdt forovrigt temmelig 
lige, mserkeligt skilte sig derved, at Saxlemmerne ganske 
manglede Chela. Han saa heri en generisk Forskjel og 
opstillede derfor for disse sidste Arter sin Slsegt Aehelia. 
Denne Slsegt blev ogsaa af andre Zoologer adopteret, ja 
af Wilson eudog stillet l en ganske anden Familie end 
Slsegten Ammothea. Forst Hoek bar til fald Evidens godt- 
gjort, sit begge Slsegter borer sammen, idet Slsegten Am- 
mothea kun grander sig paa yngre Exemplarer, medens 
Slsegten Aehelia reprseenterer de fuldt udviklede Individer. 
En betydelig Reduction af de under begge Slsegter opstil- 
lede Arter bliver derfor ogsaa nodvendig. Foruden den 
forst opstillede Art, A. carolinensis, Leach, og de 2 neden- 
for nsermere beskrevne Arter, borer herlien en engelsk Art, 
A. longipes, Hodge, en amerikansk, A. spinosa, Stimpson, 
og 6 middelhavske Arter, nylig characteriserede af Dohrn 
i hans Pycnogonidevserk. 
38. Ammothea echinata, (Hodge). 
(PI. XIII, Pig. 1, a — m). 
Aehelia echinata, Hodge, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. Yol. XIII, 
1864, p. 115, PI. XII, Fig. 7—10. 
Ammothea hrevipes, Hodge, ibid. p. 114, PI. XII, Fig. 
1 — 4 (juv.) 
Gen. 11. Ammothea, Leach, 1815. 
Syn. Aehelia, Hodge. 
Generic Characters. Body short and stout, with 
closely crowded lateral processes. Cephalic segment 
massive, with indistinct neck and square frontal part. 
Caudal segment not separated from the last body-segment, 
narrow cylindric, horizontal. Ocular tubercle near the 
front of the cephalic segment, strongly protuberant, 
with distinct lenses. Proboscis directed obliquely down- 
wards, constricted at the base, fusiform. Chelifori, in 
fully developed specimens . very small , 2-jointed , last 
joint globular. Palpi of medium length, 8 — 9-jointed. 
False legs relatively short, without distinct terminal claw' 
and with a very small number of serrated marginal spines. 
Ambulatory legs short and robust, frequently spinous; 
femoral joint very broad, with the outer corner more 
or less projecting; tarsal joint particularly small; pro- 
podal joint strongly developed, more or less curved and 
spinous on the inner margin: terminal claw strong, aux- 
iliary claw's well developed. The sexual apertures, in the 
male, situated at the point of a prominent projection on 
the 2nd coxal joint of the 2 posterior pairs of legs. 
Remarks. The genus Ammothea vms first established 
by Leach for the adoption of an exotic species in which the 
chelifori terminated in a small but distinctly developed chela. 
In 1864 the English naturalist Hodge investigated a number 
of small Pycnogonids, of which a few quite corresponded 
to Leach’s genus, while others, although otherwise pretty 
similar, distinguished themselves notably by the chelifori 
being quite awanting in chela. He regarded this as a 
generic difference, and therefore established for those latter 
species his genus Aehelia. This genus was also adopted 
by other zoologists, indeed even placed by Wilson in quite 
another family than the genus Ammothea. Hoek was the 
first who completely established that both genera belong 
to each other, as the genus Ammothea is only based on 
young specimens, while the genus Aehelia represents the 
fully developed individuals. A considerable reduction in 
the species ranked under both genera became therefore 
necessary. Besides the first established species, A. carol- 
inensis, Leach, and the 2 species more particularly de- 
scribed hereafter, there also pertain to it, an English 
species A. longipes, Hodge, an American one, A. spinosa, 
Stimpson, and 6 Mediterrannean species, lately charac- 
terized by Dohrn in his work on Pycnogonida. 
38. Ammothea echinata, (Hodge). 
(PI. XIII fig. 1, a— m). 
Aehelia echinata, Hodge, Ann, Mag. Nat. Hist, Yol. XIII, 
1864, p. 115, PL XII, figs. 7 — 10. 
Ammothea hrevipes, Hodge, ibid. p. 114, PI. XII, figs. 
1—4 (juv.). 
