AUSTBALIAN MALACOSTBACA. 165 



very well to the species of Gebia commonly found as a tenant of 

 various sponges in Port Jackson. In the female the minute 

 spines on the wrist are rudimentary or absent. 



311. Gebia spinifrons. Plate iii , fig. 5. 



Gebia spinifrons, Haswell, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., Vol. vi. 



Front divided into three parts by two deep lateral longitudinal 

 grooves, which extend on the upper surface of the carapace, 

 becoming shallower posteriorly and bending slightly outwards ; 

 the mesial portion of the front much more prominent than the 

 lateral portions, and forming a triangular rostrum with a narrow 

 mesial longitudinal groove above ; lateral portions each with two 

 small acute teeth below near their extremity ; cephalic region of 

 the carapace marked with numerous transverse scabrous lines 

 beset with hairs ; anterior border, below the lateral frontal 

 process, and behind the base of the antenna?, with three pro- 

 minent acute spines ; two others on the outer portion of the 

 antennary sternum, three smaller close together in a longitudinal 

 row, on the hepatic region parallel with and close below the 

 lateral border, and a row of 2-10 others bordering the lateral 

 portions of the cervical groove behind. First three pairs of legs 

 having the merus armed below with a variable number of acnte 

 spines ; first pair also armed with a row of spines on the upper 

 border of the propodos and carpus, and a single spine on the 

 upper border of the merus near the distal extremity ; second pair 

 with a single spine on the upper border of the carpus, and two 

 near the distal end of the upper border of the merus. Length 

 3 in. 



Port Stephens, eight fathoms. 



Genus Axius, Leach. 



Hands broad, the immobile finger well-developed. Second 

 pair of legs smaller than the first, sublamellate, didactylous ; 

 third, fourth, and fifth monodactyle. Rostrum simple, trian- 

 gulate. External antennae with a small basal squame. 



312. Axius glyptocercus. 



Axius glyptocercus, E. von Martens, Monatsber. Akad. Wiss. 

 Berlin, 1868, p. 613. 



