108 bulletin: museum of comparative zoology. 



Zelanodesmus, gen. nov. 



Close to the preceding genus, x\ustraliosoma, and Orthomorpha but 

 differing in the character of the male gonopods. Each gonopod in the 

 type has the telopodite in the form of a broad blade which gives off 

 on the mesal side near the middle of its length a prong stout at base 

 but long and slenderly acuminate; beyond this the process bifurcates 

 into a flattened seminiferous longer middle branch and a much more 

 slender, styliform, acutely pointed and moderately curved dorsal 

 branch, all the branches remaining well apart from each other. 



Genotype. — Z. rotornanus, sp. nov. 



298. Zelanodesmus rotornanus, sp. nov. 



Type.— M. C. Z. 4,627. New Zealand : Rotorna (W. M. Wheeler). 



Color above chocolate-brown, darker caudad of the suture and on each side 

 just above the narrow yellow keels. Last tergite flavous excepting proxi- 

 mally. Legs fulvous. Antennae brown. 



Vertigial sulcus reaching down to or very nearly to upper level of antennal 

 sockets. Clj'peal region with scattered coarse puncta or foveolae which are 

 setigerous. Antennae reaching upon the third somite; second, third, and 

 fourth articles measuring each close to .44 mm., the sixth, .52 mm. 



Dorsum well arched, not at all tuberculate, shining, at most finely and not 

 densely coriarious. First four tergites without sulci; the others with a deep 

 transverse sulcus excepting the penult and ultimate; keels distinct but very 

 narrow, narrower anteriorly where well rounded; posterior angles subrect- 

 angular, not at all, as in the posterior region, produced caudad of posterior 

 margin of the tergite; keels of seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth seg- 

 ments anteriorly scarcely evident, and those of the nineteenth as a whole 

 almost obliterated. None of keels with trace of serration. Last tergite 

 broad, somewhat scoop-shaped, strongly narrowed caudad, the caudal margin 

 weakly incurved or emarginate. 



Anal sternite caudally strongly convexly rounded, bulging caudad between 

 the setigerous articles. 



First legs in male thickened; third joint with a small tooth on the ventral 

 surface near middle, not otherwise specially modified. First several pairs of 

 legs with last joint bearing a dense series of stiff short hairs beneath. Plate 

 of fifth sternite subquadrate, angles slightly rounded. 



Gonopods of male very short, scarcely reaching the bases of the anterior 

 legs of the preceding somite. 



Length, near 18 mm.; width, L8 mm. 



