186 Bulletin Vanderdilt Marine Museum, Vol. V 



short setae. The external maxillipeds are squarish, close fitting. The 

 female belt is widely oval, composed of five articles, the third, fourth 

 and fifth segments being fused; the distal article triangulate. The 

 outer surface of it is carved by a series of transverse grooves. 



The female chelipeds are equal, rather small, the ischium strong, 

 with a small sharp spine at the upper distal angle, almost fused with a 

 similar spine on the proximal border of the merus. The merus is very 

 short, three-sided, widening distally, armed on the upper surface with 

 a median subdistal and two distal spines in triangulate arrangement; 

 the carpus is squamose on the upper surface with the upper margin 

 carinate, the inner angle a sharp tooth ; the propodus is moderately in- 

 flated, the palm two-thirds as high as long, the upper margin carinate 

 with a distal small spine above the finger ; the upper and outer surface 

 of the palm is sculptured by eight narrow longitudinal grooves, defin- 

 ing nine longitudinal bands. The fingers which are short, curved, with 

 a wide ovate gape and rounded, spoon-shaped tips, are similarly 

 grooved. 



The first, second, third and fourth pairs of legs are very strong ; the 

 second and third pair being the longest of the series and nearly sub- 

 equal. The first and fourth pairs of legs are also subequal to each 

 other, and shorter than the others by about the length of a dactyl. The 

 ischial and meral joints are transversely sculptured by fine grooves, 

 defining wide bands on the lower surfaces, and on the upper surface, 

 covered with transverse squamae which towards the upper lateral mar- 

 gin become coarsened. The lower and upper lateral margins of the 

 merus are each fringed with short, close-set setae and there is a strong 

 subdistal spine at the upper lateral margin and two shorter spinose 

 nodules on the upper distal margin ; the carpus and propodus are elon- 

 gate, cylindrical, longitudinally channelled by linear grooves, separat- 

 ing wider bands, and with a strong fringe of setae along the postlateral 

 margin and anterior to this a second, shorter fringe of setae, along one 

 of the upper ridges. The dactyli are very strong, prehensile, with a 

 reinforced articulation with the propodus, the outer lateral margin 

 setose, the inner later margin armed with a series of curved sharp 

 spines, the tip a strong, curved spine ; the upper lateral surface longi- 

 tudinally grooved. 



References : Plagusia speciosa Dana, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. vol. 

 5, p. 252, 1851.— U. S. Explor. Exped., vol. XIII, Crust., 

 pt. I, p. 369, atlas, pi. 23, fig. 9, 1852.— Miers, Ann. Mag. 

 Nat. Hist., vol. I, p. 151, 1878. — Ejngsley, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 



