488 



4. Melphidippella macera (Norman). 



(PI. 171.) 



Atylus mar.cr, Norman, Last Report on Dredging among the Shetland Isles; Report of the 

 Brit. Assoc, for the Advancement of Science 1868, p. 280. 



Syn: Melphidippa longipes, Boeck. 



Body rather slender, but having the anterior division, especiall^y in 

 female, somewhat tumid, -with broadly-vaulted back. Segments of metasome 

 and the 2 antei'ior ones of iirosome each produced dorsally to a spiniform 

 projection, and with the adjacent edge minutely dentated. Cephalon 

 comparatively short, but very broad and deep, with a small rostral 

 projection, lateral lobes much swollen, and terminating in an acute detlexed 

 point Coxal plates extremely small; 1st pair subquadrangitlar, with the 

 anterior corner slightly produced; 2nd pair obliquely truncated at the tip; 

 5th pair about as deep as the preceding pair. Last pair of epimeral plates 

 of metasome acutely produced at the lateral corners, and having the posterior 

 edge minutely serrated. Eyes very large and convex, nearly semiglobose, 

 occupying the greater part of the lateral lobes of the head, visual elements 

 very numerous and densely crowded, pigment red. Superior antennte about 

 the length of the body, exclusive of the urosome, 1st joint of the peduncle 

 rather thick, and about the length of the other 2 combined, 3rd joint very 

 small, Hagellum more than 4 times as long as the peduncle, and extremely 

 slender, being composed of about 22 articulations, accessory appendage forming 

 only a minute nodule carrying a numl>er of small bristles. Inferior antennae 

 in female shorter than the superior, penultimate joint of the peduncle longer 

 than the last one, flagellum shorter than the peduncle, and composed of about 

 7 articulations. Same antennas in male much more elongated, and scarcely 

 sluirt-er tlian the superior ones, penultimate joint of the peduncle somewhat 

 laminar, flagellum fully as long as the peduncle, and composed of about 12 

 articulations. Anterior gnathopoda with the carpus somewhat compressed, 

 and densely setous on the inferior edge, propodos much shorter than the 

 carpus, and oblong subfusiform in outline, dactylus slender. Posterior 

 gnathopoda somewhat more elongated than the antei'ior, carpus rather narrow, 

 and having about 5 fascicles of slender setae on the inferior edge, propodos 

 about the length of the carpus, and sublinear in form, with the palm very 

 short, and the dactylus small. The 2 anterior pairs of pereiopoda with the 

 meral, carpal and propodal joints nearly of equal length, and edged with 



