OCR Text |
Show 1879.] 'LIGHTNING' A N D ' P O R C U P I N E ' EXPEDITIONS. 581 tracted in front: beaks central, but not prominent: cartilage and pit very small, somewhat elongated transversely : hinge-plate rather broad and strong: teeth minute and short, tubercular, 6-8 on each side: inside polished, plain-edged: scars indistinct. L. 0*0275. B. 0*0375. 'Porcupine ' Exp. 1870 : Atl. St. 2, 3, 3a, 8, 9, Vigo B., 17a, 24. Distribution. Palermo and Sciacca ; 113 J fms. Originally named by me microscopica ; but that word is too much like micrometrica, which has been since used by Seguenza for another species above mentioned. 22. LEDA MINIMA, Seguenza. Yoldia minima, Seg. Nuc. terz. merid. d'lt. p. 18, t. v. f. 27, 27a-c. 'Porcupine' Exp. 1870 : Atl. St. 3, 13, 17, 17a, 24 ; Med. 55. Fossil. Pliocene. Province of Messina. The specific name is inappropriate, because this species is not the smallest of the genus Leda. I had provisionally named it subrotunda; and Monterosato published that name, treating Seguenza's as a synonym. A. Edge plain or smooth. 1. NUCULA TENUIS, Montagu. Arca tenuis, Mont. Test. Brit. Suppl. p. 56, t. xxix. f. 1. N. tenuis B. C. ii. p. 151 ; v. p. 172, pi. xxix. f. 4. ' Lightning ' Exp.: St. 3, 5, 7- 'Porcupine' Exp. 1869: St. I, 6, 9, Galway B., 13, 17. 1870 : Atl. 1, 2, 3, 9, Vigo B., 13, 16, 24, off C. Sagres. Distribution. Circumpolar in the North Atlantic and Pacific, 'Valorous' Exp., Iceland to the N.W. coast of France, Mediterranean (Nares)!, Maine northwards, Kamptchatka Sea, Vancouver I., N. Japan ; 3-365 fms. Fossil. Pliocene and Post-tertiary. Scandinavia, Great Britain and Ireland, Calabria aud Messina, Canada and Maine; 0-12 ft. The arctic form is N. inflata of Hancock, N. antiqua, Mighels, N. expansa, Reeve, and perhaps N bellotii of A. Adams. In a fossil state the typical form is N. decipiens of Philippi. 2. NUCULA ^EGEENSIS, Forbes. N.ageensis, Forb.Rep.Brit. Assoc. 1843,p. 192: Hanley, Nuculidse, p. 56, pi. v. f. 154. 'Porcupine' Exp. 1870: Atl. St. 17a, 26-34, 36; Med. off Jijeli, 51, 55, Benzert Road, Adventure Bank, off Rinaldo's Chair, 58. Distribution. Mediterranean eastward to the iEgean, Adriatic ; 60-250 fms. Fossil. Pliocene. Ficarazzi near Palermo. Assuming this to be Forbes's species (although his description is too scanty to be satisfactory), it may be distinguished from N. tenuis |