Fam. EXpithetosomatidse, Dan. & Kor. 
Legemet forsynet med et eylindrisk, hult, med Krops- 
hulheden korresponderende Rør. Bagenfor dette, paa hver 
Side af Kroppens Forende, en Spalte, i Bunden forsynet 
med Aabninger. Ingen Børster. 
Slægtskarakter. 
Legemet cylindrisk, paa dets forreste Ende forsynet 
med et langt, ikke retractilt, rørformigt Tilhæng (Snabel). 
Bagenfor dette, paa Bugsiden, den runde 'Mundaabning. 
Paa hver Side af den forreste Kropsende en Spalte, der i 
Bunden er forsynet med flere Aabninger. Ingen Anal- 
appendices. Anus i Kroppens bagerste Ende. 
Artskarakter. 
Kroppen cylindrisk, 12”” lang, 2”” bred. Det rør- 
formige Tilhæng 2'/2 Gang saa langt som Kroppen. Tar- 
men lige, stærkt foldet. Farven paa Kroppen olivengrøn, 
paa Snabelen bleg grønlig. 
Den Beskrivelse vi 'her have leveret er jo i mange 
Punkter yderst ufuldkommen; thi det Materiale, der har 
staaet til vor Disposition, har baade været ringe — kun 
to Exemplarer — og slet konserveret. Ved et Uheld vare 
de blevne opbevarede paa et saa lidet Glas, at Spiritus- 
indholdet ikke var tilstrækkelig til en god Konservation. 
Det var især de indre Organer, der havde lidt, og 
det i den Grad, at Vævene for en stor Del vare ramollerede. 
Men da det her omhandlede Dyr «efter vor Formening i 
flere Henseender har stor Interesse for Videnskaben, fandt 
vi det rigtigt at offentliggjøre vore Undersøgelser, saa ufuld- 
stændige, de end ere, i Haab om, at naar Opmærksomheden 
engang var vakt, vilde det senere lykkes Forskere at er- 
holde et bedre og rigere Materiale, hvorved Iagttagelserne 
ikke alene kunde optages paany, men at ogsaa derved de i 
vor Beskrivelse muligens indløbne Feil kunne berigtiges og 
Manglerne udfyldes. ; 
Det vil være indlysende af vor Beskrivelse, at vort 
nye Dyr ikke kan henføres til nogen af de af Gephyreerne 
hidtil bekjendte Familier eller Slægter. Det afviger paa 
saa mange Maader fra disse, og ikke mindst derved, at det 
har Spalter, der aabne Forbindelsen mellem Søvandet og 
Kropsvædsken, at vi et Øieblik var i Tvivl om, hvorvidt 
vi havde med en Gephyre at gjøre, — en Tvivl, der dog 
snart hævedes ved den Kundskab, vi erholdt om Dyrets 
Organisation. Denne tilhører overveiende Gephyreernes. 
Denævnte Aandespalter? ere jo ganske eiendommelige og frem- 
mede for denne Klasse af Dyr, og har neppe noget Analogon. 
Vi, have saaledes ikke alene opstillet en ny Slægt for 
det; men vi have endog fundet det nødvendigt at grunde 
en ny Familie, hvortil Slægten kan henføres. 
43 
Fam. Epithetosomatidæ, Dan. & Kor. 
Body furnished with a cylindrical, hollow tube, com- 
municating with the perivisceral cavity. Posterior to this: 
tube; on either side of the anterior extremity of the trunk, 
a cleft, or fissure, the bottom pierced with apertures, No 
bristles. 4 
Generic Character. 
Body cylindric, furnislied at the anterior extremity 
with a long, non-retractile, tubiform appendix (proboscis). 
Posterior to the appendix, on the ventral surface, the round 
buceal opening. On either side of the anterior extremity of 
the trunk, a cleft, or fissure, the bottom pierced with several 
apertures. No anal appendices. The anus on the posterior 
extremity of the trunk. 
Specific Character. 
Trunk cylindric, 12”” long, 2” in diameter. The 
tubiform appendix 2'/, times the length of the trunk. The 
intestine straight, with prominent folds. Colour of trunk 
olive-green; of proboscis pale-green. 
The description we have here ventured to give is in 
many respects very incomplete, the materials from which 
it has been furnished having been not only scanty, but — 
a far greater drawback — also defective: two examples in 
a bad state of preservation. Unfortunately, the glass jar 
in which the specimens had to be brought home, was so 
small, that the quantity of spirits was insufficient for per- 
fect preservation. 
The internal organs had suffered most, to that extent 
indeed, that the greater part of the delicate tissue was 
found to have become more or less disintegrated. But, as 
this rare animal will, we opine, prove of great scientific 
interest, we feel no hesitation in publishing the results of 
our investigation; however meagre and incomplete, hoping 
that, when attention shall have been once aroused, zoolo- 
gists may at some future period succeed in obtaining more 
extensive and better materials, wherewith could be resumed 
the observations prematurely arrested, and any errors rec- 
tified that may be found to detract from the value of our 
description. . 
It will be obvious from the criteria recorded, that 
Epithetosoma cannot be referred to any known genus or 
family of Gephyrea. It differs indeed from them all in so 
many respects, and not least by reason of the fissured open- 
ing through which the sea-water gains access to the peri- 
visceral cavity, that we were a moment in doubt as to 
whether the animal before us could be a Gephyrean, — 
a doubt, however, speedily set at rest on our proceeding 
to investigate its organisation. ‘The aforesaid respiratory 
fissure is, however, something eminently peculiar, and alien 
to this class of animals; its analogue probably does not exist. 
Hence we have not only had to institute a new genus 
but have found it necessary to establish a new family for 
the reception of Hpithetosoma. 
