h
2 4 4 COLLECTIOÎiS FROM MELANESIA.
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naked except toward the margins, the lower margin is in a straight
line with the lower margin of the immobile finger; the fingers are
little shorter than the palm, acute at apices, and rather strongly denticulated
along their inner margins. The ambulatory legs aro slender
and somewhat elongated, tho dactyli styliform and straight, the
margins (of the fifth pair especially) aro clothed with longish
hairs. The male verges aro slender; their bases lie in narrow
canaliculi, which aro partially open above. Colour (in spirit) light
yellowish. Length nearly 3 lines (6 millim.), breadth about 3 lines
( 6 | millim.).
The single male in the collection was obtained at Port Darwin, at
a depth of 12 fms.
This species is distinguished from Typlilocarcinus nudus and
T. villosus, Stimpson, by the form of the merus-joint of the outer
maxillipedes and the acute anterior margins of the ocular peduncles,
in which characters it agrees with Ceratoplax; in the form of the
carapace aud the structure of the antennae it agrees better with
Typhlocarcinus; hub the very name of the latter genus prevents my
assigning to it a species which has the organs of vision normally
developed. Both this and the following species must, I think, he
regarded as intermediate forms between Typhlocarcinus aud Ceratop
la x . The fifth ambulatory legs are much shorter than the preceding,
as in Asthenognathus incequipes, S tm .: but, unlike th at
species, the ambulatory legs are all very slender.
Bhizopa gracilipes, Stimpson, to which this species is nearly allied.
IS described as having minnte eyes, a straight frontal margin,
strong median frontal suture, and glabrous chelae.
88. Ceratoplax ? lævis. (P late XXV. fig. C.)
In this species the carapace is transverse, smooth and shining, longitudinally
moderately convex, with only a very few pnnctulations ;
the front somewhat defiexed, more than one third the width of the
carapace, entire, with an indistinct transverse line of scanty hairs
across its upper surface ; the antero-lateral margins are much shorter
than the postero-lateral, acute, entire, and bordered with a few hairs ;
the postero-lateral margins are straight and convergent to the posterior
margin. The orbital margins are entire, the orbits widest
internally. The epistoma is very narrow-transverse. There are no
longitudinal ridges on the endostome or palate. The postahdominal
segments (in what appears to he the young female) are all of them
distinct and all narrow except the last, which reaches to the bases
of the fifth ambulatory legs. The eye-peduncles are thick and hairy
above the corueæ, distinct, and black ; the basal antennal joint,
which is of moderate size, reaches to the subfrontal lobe (see fig. c).
The ischium-joint of the outer maxillipedes is little longer than
broad ; the merus is transverse, with its antero-oxternal angle prominent
and rounded ; there is no notch at the antero-internal angle.
The chelipedes are subequal and of moderate size ; the merus short
and trigonous, with a strong tooth near the distal end of its upper
CRUSTACEA. 245
margin ; the wrist smooth, its inner margin angulated the angle
with a fringe of long stiff hairs, its anterior margin and outer and
upper surface have also some hairs ; the palm is scarcely longer than
vertically deep, its upper margin (and th a t of the mobile finger a
base) closely fringed with long stiff hairs, and there are some shorter
hairs on the lower margin ; the outer surface is smooth, with a few
scattered pnnctulations; the fingers are scarcely longer than trie
palm, denticulated on their inner margins and acute at their apices,
Avith scarcely any intramarginal hiatus. The ambulatory l e p are
slender and somewhat hairy ; the tarsi styliform, straight, and longer
than the penultimate joints. Colour (in spirit) ye loAVish white.
Length of carapace about 2 | lines (5 milhm.), breadth about 3 lines
^ ' The singB specimen (a female) was dredged in the Arafura Sea,
32-36 fms. (No. 160). ^ ^
Prom the preceding species (G. arcuata) this form is at once distinguished
by the very differently shaped, smooth, and transverse
carapace, longer basal antennal joint, &c.
Ceratoplax cUiata, Stimpson, the type of the genus, from the
N. China Sea, has the body transversely semicylindncal, palm ot
chelipedes with depressed granulations on its outer snriace, &c.
AI A. Alilne-Edwards has described a genus and species (Notonyx
nitidus) from New Caledonia*, which in many of its characters and
in external appearance is very like CeratoplaxA lavis. i t is üe-
scrihed and figured, however, as having the carapace, eyes, and
chelipedes entirely glabrous, there is apparently no tooth on trie
upper margin of the arm, and the dactyli of the ambulato^- legs are
carinated ; the carapace is more quadrate, and the merus of the outer
maxillipedes longer, not transverse, with the antere-extern al angle
less prominent.
89. Metopograpsus messor (Forskal).
This common and widely distributed species is represented in the
first collection by a male and female from Port Alolle, obtained on
the beach (No. 95), and two males from Port Curtis 0-19 fms.
(Nos 85-92) ; and in the second collection by a small female from
the beach at Thursday Island (No. 167) and a male and female from
AVest Island, Prince of AVales Channel (No. 149). Specimens are
in the British Aluseum from Pacing Island Port C ^ tis o t o
under stones at low water (J. Alacgillivray, H.Al.S. Battlesni^ke ).
T h e other Australian localities whence there ,
Alusenm collection a r e : - P o r t Essington ; Nicol Bay, N.AV. Anstra-
ha (Al. du Boulay) ; Keppel Islands, from mud among mangrove-
roots (J. Alacgillivray)-, WorAonFay {purclmsedofW^^ .-ud
Shark Bay, AV. Australia (F. AI. Bayner, H M.S. Herald )
Specimens also are in the collection of the Alusenm
of Suez {B. AlacAndrew, Esq.) ; Bed Sea (^Alajor J . Burton) , Mada-
» Noua. Archiy. Mus. Hist. Nat. ix. pp. 268, 269, pi. xii. fig. 3 (1872).
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