Paper, 'The variations occurring in certain decapod crustacea —I. Crangon vulgaris [common shrimp]' by Walter Frank Raphael Weldon

Description

Weldon writes: 'It is well known that two sets of animals, belonging to the same species, but living in different places, exhibit differences from one another by which they can, in many cases, be easily distinguished. But it is at the same time equally certain that the forces determining the differences between local races of the same species do not so act as to produce the same effect upon all individuals of the same race: for I am aware of no case in which the individuals composing any race of animals—however small and isolated the area in which they live, however uniform the conditions which obtain throughout that area—have been shown to resemble one another exactly in any character. Since the adjustment of a local race to the average proper to it is not complete, the question arises, whether it is not possible to determine the degree of accuracy with which this adjustment is effected, and the law which governs the occurrence of deviations from the average.'

Annotations in pencil and ink. Includes one anatomical drawing of the carapace of the Crangon vulgaris and a graph showing the total length of the carapace for a sample of specimens from Plymouth.

Subject: Zoology / Carcinology

Received 20 March 1890 / 28 March 1890. Read 17 April 1890. Communicated by Michael Foster.


A version of this paper was published in volume 47 of the Proceedings of the Royal Society as 'The variations occurring in certain decapod crustacea.—I. Crangon vulgaris'.

Reference number

PP/15/30

Earliest possible date

1890

Physical description

Ink and graphite pencil on paper

Page extent

17 pages

Format

Manuscript
Diagram