50 Bulletin Vanderbilt Marine Museum, Vol. VI 



Galathea latirostris Dana 



Plate 12 



• Type: Dana*s type was collected in the Fiji Islands among 

 corals and in cavities of coral rock. 



Distribution: The Fiji Islands, the type locality, is the only 

 record cited for this species until its rediscovery by the "Alva" 

 at the four widely separated localities cited below. 



Material examined: One small specimen, taken in coral, In- 

 gram Island, Queensland, Australia, August 12, 1931. One slightly 

 larger specimen taken at Pago Pago, Samoa, U. S. A., Septem- 

 ber 2, 1931. Seven, some of which are very small, taken on Venus 

 Point Reef, Tahiti, Society Islands, August 15, 1931. One taken 

 in coral, Teviatoa Reef, Raiatea Island, Society Islands, August 

 21,1931. 



Technical description : All ten specimens in the series are 

 quite young. 



The front is produced to a triangular rostrum, extending be- 

 yond the orbit and consisting of a median, apical triangular spine, 

 forward-directed and slightly uptilted distally, and on each side 

 of this a series of four serrate distal spines, the distal pair of 

 which are the longest, extending slightly in advance of the eye 

 and being triangulate and more uptilted than the median spine ; 

 the second pair of lateral rostral spines are two-thirds as long 

 as the distal pair, triangulate, directed obliquely outward above 

 the base of the eye ; the third and fourth pairs of spines are suc- 

 cessively smaller, situated above the eyestalk. The dorsal surface 

 of the rostral area is smooth in these young specimens and slightly 

 concave in the median area. There is no branchiostegal spine; 

 the outer orbital angle is a small spine. The carapace is 3.5 mm. 

 long, from posterior margin to base of rostrum, 3.1 mm. greatest 

 width, which occurs slightly in advance of the posterior margin. 

 The rostrum is 1.5 mm. long. The carapace is decidedly convex 

 from side to side and has a suboval contour, the lateral margins 

 converging toward each end, but more so anteriorly. There are 

 eight acute, procurved spines along the lateral margin, four along 

 the precervical portion and four on the postcervical portion. The 

 cervical groove is deep ; the precervical portion of the carapace 

 is ornamented with four uninterrupted, transverse ridges ex- 



