earner eee ieee rts AI Poa) Nt} 4 “iy Leey Toner eA, a TE ae eR 4 Bh D, Rnb aisuD HU MsbBBCTIA WMIEPATOPCKON ARALEMTM HAYES. Ret FAT BS ee A OF ey TOMB I. Ne 2. S042 COR sab PS. Li. BULLETIN “| PACADEMIE IMPERIALE DES SCIENCES S'T.- PETERSBOURG. | Ve SERIE. TOME I. % 2. 1894. OCTOBRE. Be C.-TETEPBYPI'b. 1894. ST.-PETERSBOURG. : Hpozaerea y komuccionepost UmneparorcKoii Commissionnaires de |’Académie ImPERIALE ? Akazemiu Hayks: es Sciences: HW. Pnasyxosa, M. Errepca u Homn. u K. JI. Pukkepa MM. J. Glasounof, Eagers & Cie. et C. Ricker 4 BB C.-Ilerepoyprs. St Petersbourg H. Kummena pb Park, M. N. Kymmel & ®occn (f. Faccenb) np Jeiiunurh. Voss’ Sortiment G. ‘Haessel) 3 d Leipzig. | | Inna: 1 p. — Prix: 2 Mk. 50 Pf. s | { E ay EA Eee Sao ae aoe : a 3 ae FA : a ogee = *98 45 Pe (cs WAR B “1935 pseu Scio gs wv Sica m pt. © W3BBCTIA MMNEPATOPCKON MASE: HAYH’b. 1894, No 2 Cee x, MS <) — “(Bulletin de l’Académie Impériale doe Sciences de St.-Pétersboure. 1894. Octobre N» 2.) Crustacea caspla. Contributions to the knowledge of the Carcinological Fauna of the Caspian Sea. By G. O. Sars, Professor of Zoology at the University of Christiania, Norway. Part III. Page's Od Me Se Ol Bl GD ID es l-st Article. Mos | NVERTEBR ATE Gammaride (part). INVERTEDE. TE L With 8 autographic plates. \ oor” { \ ZOOLOGY Cruste: Lu le 11 mai 1894). Crustacea ( INTRODUCTION. The Caspian Sea would seem truly to abound in Amphipoda. By the investigations of Dr. Grimm and Mr. Warpachowsky, a rather extensive material has now been brought together, the examination of which shows indeed the Amphipodous Fauna of that isolated basin to be both rich and diversified, comprising, as it does, numerous species belonging to several distinct families. As yet known, the following families are represented in the Caspian Sea: Lysianassidae, Pontoporetidae, Gammaridae, Corophiidae. The 2 last-named families are represented both in the collection of Mr. Warpachowsky and that of Dr. Grimm, whereas only the latter col- lection contains forms belonging to the 2 first ones. Of the above mentioned 4 families, the Lystanassidae and Corophiidae are, as well known, exclusively marine in character, whereas the other 2 comprise, besides marine species, also some apparently genuine fresh-water forms. By far the most abundantly represented family is that of the Gammaridae, and of the genera com- prised within it, the genus Gammarus has turned out contain much the greater part of the species. Some of the Gammaroid genera occurring in the Caspian Sea are very remarkable and rather unlike those represented in the Oceans. Especially is the generic form named by Dr. Grimm Boeckia highly distinguished by its most strange appearance. As is the case with the Mysidae and Cumacea, much the greater part of the Caspian Amphipoda are, as yet known, restricted in their occurrence u3.-Mar. erp. 179. 1 12* 180 G. 0. SARS, to that basin, only a few forms having been stated to be common also to the Black Sea. According to the investigations of Dr. Grimm, several forms descend to very considerable depths, and among them are some, which evidently show themselves to be of true arctic origin. Our knowledge to the Caspian Amphipoda is still very imperfect, only scattered notes having hitherto been published about this part of the Fauna. It therefore cannot fail that a full account of the species occurring in that isolated basin may have a considerable interest. I give below a summary of the earlier publications referring to the Amphipodous Fauna of the Caspian Sea, as far as I have been enabled to state by looking over the literature accessible to me. In his «Fauna caspio-caucasia»'), Mr. Eichwald mentions 2 species of Gammarus occurring in the Caspian Sea, and already noticed many years previously by Pallas?). The one of these species was considered by the latter author as identical with G. pulex Fabr., whereas the other was noticed as a new species and named G. caspius. Mr. Eichwald gives a short diagnosis of the latter form, and describes more at length another species from the Black Sea, G. haemobaphes, which he believes is the same as that noticed by Pallas as G. pulex. In the Catalogue of Amphipoda in the British Museum (1862), Sp. Bate describes and figures 2 species of Gammarus, G. caspius Brandt and G. semicarinatus n. sp., which both would seem to belong to the Caspian Fauna, though no exact locality was indicated for any of them. The last-named species is unquestionably, to judge from the figure, identical with G. caspius of Pallas as characterised by Eichwald, whereas the former is a very different species, perhaps that subsequently named by Dr. Grimm G. aralo-caspius (or G. robustoides). Sp. Bate refers for this species to Brandt’s treatise in Middendorff’s Sibirische Reise, but this must be an error, as no species of that name is mentioned in that work; and the locality (Asiatic Russia?) would seem to have merely been inserted because the specimen, from which the description and figure was taken, was presented to the Museum of the Jardin des Plantes by Professor Brandt. The most recent publication referring to the Amphipodous Fauna of the Caspian Sea is that given by Dr. Grimm in «Archiv fiir Naturgeschichte» for 1880°). In this very interesting treatise no less than 18 different species of Caspian Amphipoda are mentioned, col- lected by him from rather deep water in the southern and middle part of that Sea. But the species are only named, no descriptions whatever having 1) Nouv. Mém. de la Soc. Imp. des Naturalistes de Moscou, T. VII, 1842. 2) «Reise durch Russland I. 1801» (according to Hichwald). 3) «Beitrag zur Kenntniss einiger blinden Amphipoden des Kaspisees.» $u3,-Mar, erp. 180. 2 CRUSTACEA CASPIA. 1Sl been given of any of them. It is only some few points in their organisation (especially the more or less development of the visual organs), which have been treated of in detail, and this treatise is thus quite insufficient for re- cognizing any of the species named. As, however, the collection of Dr. Grimm has kindly been placed in my hands for examination, and some of the specimens contained in it are labelled with the names given to them, I have been enabled to identify several of the forms collected by Mr. Warpachowsky in the northern part of the Caspian Sea with species detected at an earlier date by Dr. Grimm, and I have endeavoured in every possible case to retain for the species the names originally given to them by that distinguished naturalist, though in some cases it has been necessary to make a slight change with the names, partly because they have been preoccupied in Zoology, and partly because they have been less correctly formed. It may be noticed that some of the species named in his above-cited treatise (for instance Gammarus Gregorkowii, G. coronifera, G. thaumops) do not seem to be contained in the collection sent to me, and that some others are only represented by apparently quite immature specimens, which hardly suffice for recognizing the species. More- over some of the specimens have been dried up at an earlier date by the evaporation of the spirit, and on this cause deformed, so as to be only with great difficulty examined. The greater part of the specimens are, however, still in a very good state of preservation, and will suffice for a full examina- tion of the species. The description of the new species contained in the collection of Dr. Grimm must be suspended for some time, as it has been destined, that the results of the investigations of that naturalist should be published in a separate work. It is therefore only the collection made by Mr. Warpachowsky in the northern part of the Caspian Sea, that will be the object of the present treatise. I have however been authorized by the Academy to refer to the collection of Dr. Grimm, as regards the horizontal and vertical distribution of the species here described. The collection of Warpachowsky contains no less than 25 different species, and as some of these species are very nearly allied, and moreover the sexual differences often rather pronounced, it has appeared to me desir- able, that each species should be described and figured in detail, and that also good and sufficiently large habitus-figures should be given of both sexes. On this cause it has been necessary to divide my treatise on that part of the Fauna into several articles, each accompanied by 8 plates. The present 1st article will give full descriptions and figures of 7 species belonging to 4 different Gammaroid genera, viz., Boeckia, Gmelina, Amathillina and u3,.-Mar. crp. 181. 3 182 @.'0. SARS, Gammarus. In the next article, to be shortly published, the remaining species of Gammarus will be described, and in a 3rd article some other Gammaroid genera will be treated off, as also the rather numerous species of Corophium occurring in the Caspian Sea. The figures are, as in my two former papers reproduced by the auto- eraphic methode, and particular care has been applied in making them as correct and instructive as possible. Fam. GAMMARIDAs. Gen. 1. Boeckia, Grimm (not Malm). Generic characteristic. — Body very robust, with greatly incrusted in- teguments, and having the metasome and urosome poorly developed. Seg- ments of mesosome produced laterally to extant spiniform processes, that of the 5th segment being particularly strong and mucroniform. Cephalon pro- duced in front to a distinct rostrum, and having on each side a greatly prominent spiniform projection. Anterior pairs of coxal plates rather deep; Ath pair but little broader than the preceding pairs, and very slightly emarginated posteriorly. Eyes distinct, placed on the lateral faces of the cephalon. Superior antennze longer than the inferior and having the acces- sory appendage obsolete. Oral parts normal. Gnathopoda comparatively small, subcheliform, and but little different; those in male somewhat stronger built than in female, with the propodos broader. Pereiopoda rather elongated and nearly equal in length, basal joint of last pair broader and more laminar than that of the 2 preceding pairs. Branchial lamelle large, subpedunculated; incubatory lamelle well developed. Uropoda very unequal in size, the last pair being rather small, not nearly reaching beyond the others and having the inner ramus extremely minute, scale-like, the outer linear and without any terminal joint. Telson very small, unarmed, and slightly cleft at the tip. Remarks. — The name Boeckia, it is true, has been long ago appr- priated in Zoology, having even been proposed at different times by 2 different authors, viz., by Malm for a genus of Amphipoda, and by Mr. Geo. Thomson for a fresh-water Copepod. But in both instances the name has been withdrawn, that of Malm being synonymous with Leptocheirus of Zaddach, and that of Thomson having been changed by Mrss. Guérin and Richard to Boeckella. It seems to me therefore that there cannot be any objection in using this name now in a new sense, and in every case I find it unreasonable that the name of such a diligent investigator as the late Dr. Boeck should not be justly associated with the order of Crustacea that u3.-Mar. erp. 182, 4 CRUSTACEA CASPIA. 183 constituted his special study, merely because some authors erroneously ap- plied his name for the establishment of spurious genera. The systematic position of this remarkable genus would seem, at the first sight, to be somewhat doubtful. In the robust form of the body, the poor development of the metasome and urosome, as also in the comparatively short caudal appendages, it rather much reminds of the Orchestiidae. But the oral parts are constructed upon the very same type as in the true Gammaridae, and the branchial lamelle exhibit the same characteristic pedunculated appearance as in this family. Moreover the superior antennse are considerably longer than the inferior, differing, however, very markedly from those in the other Gammaride in the want of a true accessory ap- pendage. Notwithstanding this and other divergences from the Gammaroid type, I am inclined to believe, that this genus ought more properly to be placed within the Gammaridae, though constituting a rather anomalous membre of the family. Besides the species described below, Dr. Grimm has distinguished 2 other species of this genus under the names B. nasuta and B. hystrix. Both these species are, however, founded upon quite immature specimens, the first-named agreeing exactly with young specimens of B. spinosa, as figured Pl. II, fig. 10; and the other only differing in the dorsal prominences of the segments being somewhat stronger and elevated to acutely triangular projections. In my opinion both these supposed species ought to be with- drawn, the genus being at present only represented by a single species. 1. Boeckia spinosa, Grimm. (Pl. I and II), Specific Characteristic. — Body in female extremely stout and very tumid, in male somewhat more slender and less broad; back obtusely carinated throughout, with the segments slightly projecting dorsally; mesosome having on each side, at the junction of the coxal plates, a row of spiniform pro- cesses, those of 5th segment being very large and terminating in a sharp point, the others comparatively small and obtuse at the tip; segments of metasome each with a pair of subdorsal, upturned processes, which however in the 1st segment are rather small and tuberculiform; 1st segment of uro- some overlapping dorsally the succeeding ones and terminating in a rather large, hooked, median projection, having besides, as the segments of meta- some, a pair of upturned subdorsal processes. Cephalon slightly keeled dor- sally, rostrum horizontally projected and triangularly pointed, lateral pro- jections longer than the rostrum, and diverging to each side nearly at a right angle. Anterior pairs of coxal plates much deeper than the corres- us.-Mar. crp. 183, 5 184 G. 0. SARS, ponding segments, and having the distal edge densely setiferous; Ist pair somewhat narrower than the succeeding pairs and slightly curved; 4th pair not fully as deep as the preceeding pairs, and having the distal edge obli- quely truncated; the 3 posterior pairs comparatively small and of normal appearance. Last pair of epimeral plates of metasome obtusangular. Eyes small, rounded, with dark pigment. Superior antenne somewhat exceeding in length 1/, of the body, and rather densely setiferous, 1st joint of the peduncle comparatively large, flagellum nearly twice the length of the ped- uncle, and composed of numerous articulations; accessory appendage only represented by an extremely small nodule carrying 2 delicate bristles. In- ferior antennz but little more than half the length of the superior, and of normal structure. Gnathopoda in female rather feeble, subequal, propodos in both pairs about the length of the carpus and scarcely broader, palm well defined, being in the anterior ones more oblique than in the posterior; those in male somewhat stronger, with the propodos considerably expanded, forming below a rounded spiniferous lobe defining the deeply concayed palm, dactylus strong and curved. Pereiopoda rather slender, and having their outer part edged with numerous fascicles of bristles, basal jomt of antepenultimate and penultimate pairs comparatively narrow and tapering distally, that of last pair considerably more expanded, with the greatest breadth below the middle. The 2 anterior pairs of uropoda having the rami subequal and falciform in shape; last pair much shorter than the former, with the outer ramus somewhat longer than the basal part, and provided with a few fascicles of small bristles. Telson extremely small, scarcely half as long as it is broad at the base, outer part narrowed and having in the middle a short cleft. Length of adult female 20 mm., of male 25 mm. Remarks. —- This remarkable Amphipod cannot be confounded with any other form, exhibiting, as it does, a most peculiar appearance by the extremely stout and compact body and its strange spinous armature. It may however be observed, that some of the species of Allorchestes (or Hyallella) found in the Titicaca Sea and described by Mr. W. Faxon, exhibit a some- what analogous armament of the body. Especially is this the case with the species named