MARINE CRUSTACEANS. 



249 



Pilmnnus, though, in any case, with A. obesus Dana, 1852, and A. elegans de Man, 1887, 

 it holds an intermediate position. 



Taken on the reef at Minikoi. 



16. Actumniis setifer (de Haan), 1835. Alcock, iii. p. 202. 

 The carapace is very sparsely granular in the larger specimens. 

 Dredged in 23 — 30 fathoms in Mahlos and South Nilandu Atolls. 



17. Actumnus tomentosus Dana, 1852. Alcock, iii. p. 202. 

 Dredged in 25 fathoms in South Nilandu Atoll. 



Genus Melia Latr., 1825. 



I have followed Ortmann in placing this genus provisionally in the Menippinae chiefly 

 because the orbital gap forbids its being included in the Trapeziinae, to which its body-shape, 

 coral haunting habits, and coloration seem at first to show a relationship. For the rest, the 

 shape of the body may be reached without much difficulty from that of Pilumnus, and none 



Fig. 49. Melia tessellata, bearing in its claws two sea anemoues. The colour of this crab in life is very beautiful 

 Its translucent legs are ringed, as in the figure, with dark purple, and lines of the same colour mark out the 

 body into polygonal fields which are coloured pale pink or brown and lemon yellow. The anemones when alive 

 are olive-green, and the coral pink or green. The whole figure is considerably enlarged, and b, which shows the 

 "hand" holding an anemone, is very much so. 



of the other characters offers any great obstacle to our classifying it with the present sub- 

 family. It has obviously undergone considerable modifications in structure in connection with 

 its peculiar and interesting habits. 



32—2 



