﻿South African Crustacea. 33 



As this species makes a near approach to S. siphonoceros (Philippi), 

 as recently described and figured by Mr. Stanley Kemp, the following 

 points of difference may be noted. The eyes cannot be described as 

 " grey, with a coppery reflection," but are rather of a deep brownish 

 red. The carina on the sixth pleon-segment is not " produced pos- 

 teriorly to a short spine." The flagella of the first antennae are 

 longer as compared with the carapace. The teeth of the rostral 

 carina have a different arrangement. The mandibles, though agreeing 

 fairly as to the palps, have a very different cutting edge. In the 

 second maxillipeds the terminal joint is here longer instead of shorter 

 than the penultimate. And in the petasma of the male this species 

 seems to have a more specialised form. 



From S. comatus, the South African species described last year, the 

 present form is separated by its shallower rostrum with a different 

 dentation, the want of a postero-dorsal tooth to end the carina of the 

 sixth pleon-segment, the different cutting-edge of the mandibles and 

 the shorter penultimate joifit of their palp, in addition to the very 

 different though remotely allied form of the petasma. The same 

 terms may be applied to the petasma of S. melantJio, de Man, but 

 here again additional differences point to the propriety of specific 

 distinction. 



The female, 70-5 mm. long, has the carapace 22-5 mm., and the 

 pleou 48 mm. in length, from the apex of the rostrum to the cervical 

 groove measuring 13-5 mm., the faintly continued carina to the end of 

 the carapace accounting for 9 mm. The third to the sixth pleon- 

 segments are all carinate, the sixth scarcely as long as the fifth ; the 

 sulcate telson closely agrees with that of S. comatus, its lateral pro- 

 cesses being much stronger than those shown for S. mela)itho,de Man, 

 and rather further from the apex than in 8. siphonoceros. The slightly 

 incomplete flagella of the first antennae are 32 mm. long. In the male, 

 which was about 53 mm. in length, these flagella were 26 mm. long, 

 the carapace 18 mm. The apex of the rostrum, acute in the female, 

 is slightly damaged in the male specimen. The flagella of the first 

 antenna bear witness alike to their importance as a generic character 

 and as constituents of a respiratory tube by their persistence years 

 after death in springing back, when released from separation, to 

 reform the tube. In the petasma the shorter inner lamina differs 

 from all tlie fonns above compared by its bidentate apical crook, but 

 something similar, though not the same, is seen in S. agassizii, Faxon. 



Locality. Sebastian Bluff NW. f W., 8 miles ; depth 34 fathoms. 

 A 1213. 



