SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 
UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 
WASHINGTON, D. C. 
March 2, 1937 
Dear Dr* Schmitt: 
We are all wondering if the boat got off today * but I suppose 
we will hear soon. In all the rush Saturday* I didn’t think to tell 
you to give my regards to the Lunzes. I hope you did g anyway* 
Tour letter came yesterday. I had already put in the 
Goneplacidae Rathbun , Bull * 97 » reference. I began worrying about who 
made the change in spelling from Gonoplacidae and* after half a day in 
the library* I decided that Miss Rat lib un must have done it in that 
bulletin* so added that reference. 
We are having a sweet time with that proof. Mr. Shoemaker 
is like the Dutchman’s flea; he keeps escaping me and I have to catch 
him again and bring him back to the subject in hand. Stejneger said 
the Leuc os ia fffabricius) could go* and to disregard Weber* who did not 
write an intelligible description. So* we have the references to the 
genus fixed up all right. I just got the translation of Pesta f & Ilia 
from G. W. Shoemaker* so now we can fix up a diagnosis for the genus. 
The main trouble that is left is the matter of the key. It 
seems that we do not have a specimen of Leucos ia planata (Pabr. ) . the 
West Indian species which MissRathbun mentions in the bulletin. The 
only specimens we have are 4 of Leucosia nucleus (Herbst [l guess]) from 
Turin* Italy. Three of the specimens seem to have four spines; one of 
them has the rudiments of a fifth. Whether this count of four (or five) 
spines would hold for American Leucosias we do not know. Mr. Shoemaker* 
in desperation* said he would have to ask Miss Rathbun to help him. He 
did ask her, when she came to a good stopping place* to let him talk to 
her about the matter. She said* ,l Yes, H but I feel that it all went 
right over her head. She has been puttering around all afternoon, and 
I think by now has forgotten that he wants to talk to her about it. 
Here is something Mr. Shoemaker and I are agreed on about 
the key* where Leucosia should go in. The key at present reads: 
Posterior half of carapace with only three spines. . . . Iliacantha . 
3 # Posterior half of carapace with seven spines. . ..... . . Callidactvlus. 
You suggested this: 
1 
3 • Posterior half of carapace with not more than _ spines. 
0 . Posterior half of carapa.ce with _ spines ...... . Leucosia . 
0 0^* Posterior half of carapace with only 3 spines .... Ilia canth a. 
B^w Posterior half of carapace with seven spines*. Callidactvlus . 
