| OCR Text |
Show 642 PROF. F. J. BELL ON THE GENUS PSOLUS. [Nov. 14, of Semper's voy agings are among the chief treasures of zoological and anatomical literature. While this last-mentioned work was passing through the press, Emil Selenka selected a comprehensive revision of the known Holothuroidea as the subject of a philosophical dissertation for the doctorate ; to this and to the descriptions of Prof. Ludwig the student of German literature will always have recourse. In this, as in other divisions of the Radiata, the zoologist owes much to the long-continued researches of Professor Verrill, whose chief work on Holothurians was unfortunately, and strangely enough, progressing simultaneously with those of Semper and of Selenka. Coming at once to the genus Psolus, we find that some inconvenience has arisen from this simultaneous work ; for neither of the German naturalists was able to take any note of the formation by Verrill of two genera allied to Psolus ; and we have not, therefore, their opinion on the value of the generic distinctions by means of which Lophothuria and Lissothuria are added to the Psoline subfamily- though we have, perhaps, some indication of Prof. Semper's views in the remarks that he makes on the new genus Stolinus formed by Selenka. The Holothuroidea form no exception among animals; side by side with the study of their natural history we have, unfortunately, to make our way through that rapidly growing maze designated " synonymy." I can see no advantage in retailing, at second hand, the references to earlier writers who have more or less correctly identified species, which references themselves are not without exception exact. I propose therefore to give for the sake of completeness one, and probably the most suitable, reference for each species. In the first place, however, it will unfortunately be necessary to detail at length the history of a generic name which has attained almost as great a vogue as Psolus itself, and which has, even lately, been used in zoological literature. Prof. Studer (Monatsb. Ak. Berl. 1876, p. 452) doubtless, like myself (P.Z.S. 1881, p. 100), has used for Cuvieria antarctica the name by which that species is best known, without at the time entering upon a close bibliographical investigation. In the Animal Kingdom there are four claimants to the name Cuvieria ; but this, of course, is not by itself a reason why we should cease to make use of it for an Echinoderm. So far as I can discover, the first time that the name appeared in print in association with the Holothuroidea was in 1817 \ when Cuvier wrote, " Celles que Peron avait nominees Cuvieries." Peron, however, does not seem to have ever quite definitely made up his mind as to what genus or group should be dignified by association with the name of the illustrious anatomist. Several years earlier he had applied the name to a Medusa (Voyage, Atlas, pl. xxx. fig. 2) : a little later than this he published, in conjunction with Lesueur, a 'Tableau des Meduses;' and 1 Regne Anim. iv. p. 22, note (1); and see pl. xv. fig. 9, where cuvieria is used as a specific naiiie. |
