LEPTOCIIELTA. 133 



determine the limits of that portion of the peduncle.* 

 In the inferior pair the difficulty is still greater, for 

 there are but five joints, the last being very rudi- 

 mentary. In this respect this pair resembles that of the 

 genus Tanais. The first pair of gnathopoda are very 

 long, as long as (or much longer than) the superior pair 

 of antennas. In both the species known, they have a 

 large gaping chela, which Mr. Dana considers as a 

 generic distinction, but which we think is very liable to 

 specific variation. 



The only species hitherto referred to this genus is 

 Leptochelia minuta, found among sea-weed and small 

 corals in the Island of Ovalan, one of the Feejee group, 

 the length of which is only one-tenth of an inch. 



* In the typical species described by Dana, the first joint is a very minute 

 basal one, and the second very long. 



