Zoology. 1 NATURAL fflSTORY OF VICTORIA. lOrustacea. 



(dactylopodites) simply pointed, villous ; the next two joints (propodites and carpo- 

 dites) also villous, the pile forming a close covering- on upper margin, but forming a 

 netting to bare spaces on the sides; next joints (meropodites, ischiopodites, basipodites, 

 and coxapodites) nearly naked, but with a row of five to seven irregular, conical 

 tubercles on upper angle, and with one smaller tubercle at middle of upper distal 

 margin, vi'ith a few minute tubercles on each side of meropodites. Colour: All the 

 underside of body, three basal joints of chelfe, and underside, outerside, and most 

 of innerside of chelas, including base of pincers, and four hind legs, yellowish cream 

 colour ; upper surface of carapace scarlet ; upper surface of carpus scarlet, mottled on 

 the sides, with the ground cream colour; upper portion and variable portion of sides 

 of hand mottled scarlet, and the ground cream colour ; velvety, close, pilose covering 

 of last joint, and upper edge of the penultimate and antepenultimate joints and the 

 netted pattern on their sides formed by villous lines on the four posterior pairs of legs, 

 of rich dark brown. Two fingers of chelte rich purplish black. Measurements of Male : 

 Width ot'carapace, 11 ins. 6 lines; length from front to posterior edge, 9 ins.; greatest 

 depth, 5 ins. ; length of abdomen, 1 in. 8 lines; greatest width at third segment, 9 lines; 

 length of basal joint (coxa or coxapodite) of chelae, 1 in.; second joint (or basipodite), 

 7 lines; third joint (ischium orischiopodite), 2 ins.; fourth joint (merus or meropodite), 

 4 ins. 6 lines; fifth joint, carpus (carpodite), 3 ins. 9 lines long, 3 ins. 7 lines wide at 

 distal end; sixth joint (propodos or propodite), 1 ft. 3 ins. from base to tip of fixed 

 finger, 5 ins. 6 lines to base of movable finger, 5 ins. 41ines wide at distal end, and 3 ins. 

 thick ; seventh joint or movable finger (dactylopodite), 10 ins. ; width at base, 2 ins. 

 3 lines; terminal joint (dactylopodite) of first pair of legs, 2 ins. 9 lines ; penultimate 

 joint (propodite), 2 ins. 6 lines ; antepenultimate (carpodite), 2 ins. 3 lines ; pre- 

 ceding joint (meropodite), 4 ins. 6 lines ; next joint (ischiopodite), 1 in. ; basal joint 

 (coxapodite), 1 in. Female: Much smaller than male, and with all the regions of 

 the carapace set with irregularly sized and spaced conical tubercles about their 

 middles, the boundaries of each region and subregion being smooth. Anterior 

 chela? very much smaller than in the male, and more nearly equal to each other, and 

 the fingers of the pincers much shorter and tuberculated from base nearly to apex. 

 In addition to the spines on the carpus and other portions of the legs, as in the 

 male, the hand has three or four large conical spines near base of upper rounded 

 margin, and an irregularly scattered and sized series of smaller conical tubercles 

 thence to base of movable finger (dactylopodite). About five large blunt tubercles 

 on inner edge of movable finger, extending from base nearly to the tip, and four 

 rather larger on corresponding intervals of fixed finger on right hand. On left, or 

 smaller, chelte the fixed finger is much more compressed on inner edge, and the 

 four or five tubercles still more compressed and less prominent than on the right. 

 Inner edge of fixed finger much more compressed and with proportionately much 

 smaller, more compressed, and less prominent tubercles than on right side. Abdo- 

 men enormously large, of seven very distinct segments. Measurements: Length of 

 carapace from front to posterior margin, 8 ins. 6 lines; greatest width, 10 ins. 6 lines; 

 length of abdomen, 8 ins. ; greatest width (at sixth segment), 4 ins. 2 lines ; length 

 of right hand from carpus to tip of fixed finger, 6 ins. 6 lines ; length of movable 

 finger, 3 ins. 2 lines ; greatest width of hand at base of movable finger, 3 ins. 



Reference. — r=Cancer gigas, Lam., Hist, des An. sans vert, v. 5, p. 272; 

 Milne-Ed. Hist. Nat. des Crust., v. 1, p. 409. 



This gigantic and beautifully coloured crab is now figured entire 

 and of the colours of life for the first time. It is not uncommon at 

 the western extremity of the coast-line of the colony, particularly 



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