152 Transactions. — Zoology, 



(= epimeral plate, Huxley = the area to which the eye-stalks 

 are attached,) and ascending one on each side of the rostrum {r), 

 to the base of which they are closely applied, although quite 

 free from it. Each clasping process consists of a forwardly- 

 directed or anterior limb (cl.p), and of an upwardly-directed or 

 dorsal limb (c/.jj^). The anterior limb usually terminates in a 

 true spine — i.e., is sharp, of a brownish-yellow colour, and 

 horny appearance : more rarely it is pointed, but devoid of a 

 true spine, and occasionally it terminates bluntly. The dorsal 

 limb is sometimes blunt (fig. 9), sometimes bi-lobed (fig. 10), 

 sometimes sharp (fig. 11), and occasionally terminates in a true 

 spine. The rostrum itself may be nearly horizontal (figs. 7, 10), 

 or slightly upturned (fig. 11), or strongly upturned (fig. 9), and 

 usually terminates in a true spine. All these variations are 

 found both in the South African and in the New Zealand speci- 

 mens, and are therefore in no way diagnostic, but mere matters 

 of individual variation. 



c. Propoditic spine of anterior leg. — The presence or absence 

 of this spine is a mere question of age. It is present in all the 

 larger specimens, both from the Cape and New Zealand, absent 

 or rudimentary in the smaller examples. 



d. Meropoditic spines of legs 2-5. — The dorsal surface of the 

 distal extremity of the meropodite, or third segment, of one of 

 the four posterior legs of a New Zealand crayfish, is shown in 

 fig. 12, The segment is seen to present a somewhat cres- 

 ccntic elevation (cr,) at its distal end, and proximad of this to be 

 produced into a longitudinal ridge {l.r), which projects distal- 

 wards over the crescentic elevation, ending in a sharp spine 

 {sp. 1) : This is the spine acknowledged by Hutton and Miers to 

 be common to the two species under discussion. The horns of 

 the crescentic elevation, which are directed forwards, are some- 

 times both blunt (fig. 12), sometimes each terminates in a spine 

 (fig. 14), while sometimes the anterior only (fig. 13,) and some- 

 times the posterior only is spinose. It is the presence of one, 

 the anterior, of these small spines {sp. 2,) which is held to be 

 diagnostic of P. edn-ardsii, in which species, therefore, the 

 formula of the meropoditic spines is considered to be i.I.o., 

 while in P. kdandii it is said to be o.I.o. I find, on the contrary, 

 that the presence or absence of these small lateral spines is a 

 matter of individual variation, the formula3 o.I.o., i.I.o., i.I.i. 

 occurring both in African and in New Zealand specimens, and 

 sometimes in the dillerent legs of the same specimen. 



One cannot but conclude, therefore, that, putting aside 

 P. tumidiis, Kirk,''' whicli I have not examined, there is but one 

 species of Palinurus hitherto discovered in New Zealand ; and 

 the question next arises, should this be called P. lalandii or 



* " Trans. N.Z. Inst.," vol. xii, p. 313. 



