OTUS. 223 



A MP HIP OB A . PH OX IDES. 



NA TATORIA. 



Genus OTUS. 



Otus. Spence Bate, Cat. Amph. Crust. Brit. Mus. p. 125. 



Generic character. Cephalon anteriorly produced. Pereion 

 distended. Pleon compressed. Antennas simple. Third pair 

 of siagonopoda unguiculate. First pair of gnathopoda chelate ; 

 second subchelate. Posterior pair of pleopoda biramous. 

 Telson single. 



The head is anteriorly produced. The body is much 

 distended, while the tail is considerably narrowed. The 

 antennae are subequal in length, the upper being the 

 more robust, and not furnished with a secondary ap- 

 pendage. The mandibles possess a three-jointed ap- 

 pendage. The maxillipedes terminate in a small nail. 

 The first two pairs of legs are small, and of nearly 

 equal size, the first terminating in a distal double- 

 fingered claw ; the second, which is rather stouter than 

 the first, being only subchelate. The coxae of the four 

 anterior pairs of legs are deep, the fourth being also 

 very broad, and posteriorly deeply excavated to receive 

 the anterior lobe of the coxa of the fifth pair. The 

 walking legs are short and strong, and furnished with 

 sharp fingers. The three posterior pairs of caudal ap- 

 pendages are double branched, and the central tail-plate 

 is single and scale-like. 



This genus bears a near resemblance to Iphimedia, but 

 is distinguished from it by the form of the maxillipedes, 

 and by the character and proportions of the first two 

 pairs of legs. 



The near approximation of the characters of the two 

 genera suggested the name of the son of Iphimedia as 

 being appropriate for the present more recently disco- 

 vered form. 



