Criistacea. 233 



can only canse confusion, and having no desire to add to it I have 

 accepted Spence Bate's classification in its abbreviated form as 

 quoted by Mr. Stebbing in his '' Crustacea " (30). This summary 

 admirably answers all practical purposes and serves to discriminate 

 fairly readily between a large and increasing number of species. ^ 



The genus Merhippolyte of Spence Bate had two species assigned 

 to it by "its author and, for the reason alluded to above, I have not 

 been able to ascertain whether any further additions have been made. 



Merhippolyte australis. 

 (PI. XXIX.) 



Carapace rather short, the posterior two-thirds straight, the 

 anterior third produced into a prominent rostrum, the two together 

 bearing seven or eight prominent teeth. The rostrum is deep and 

 bears two or three teeth on the under margin. The carapace bears a 

 stout spine at the outer margin of the orbit and another exists at the 

 lower angle. Posteriorly the carapace is curved backwards. Pleon 

 smooth, epimera large, those of the first three segments rounded and 

 the second much the largest, the remainder are pointed posteriorly, 

 the last being small and spinous. Telson moderately long, narrow, 

 five spines at the extremity, two pairs of spines and a few setae on 

 the dorsal surface. 



First antenna. A stout three-jointed peduncle, of which the basal 

 joint is longer than the other two and bears a very large spine, 

 reaching to the extremity of the following joint. Of the two 

 multiarticulate flagella, the inner one is long and somewhat tapering, 

 the outer one is exceedingly stout for nearly two-thirds of its length 

 and then suddenly becomes quite slender. 



Second antenna. The basal joint bears a stout spine externally 

 at the articulation of the exopoditic squame. The second joint of the 

 two-jointed peduncle of the flagellum is long and the two basal 

 joints of the flagellum are larger than the remainder. The flagellum 

 is comparatively long. The squame is spinose at its exterior 

 termination and bears a close fringe of long setae ; the broadest part 

 of the squame is rather less than one-third of its length. A row of 

 red pigment spots (in spirit specimen) occurs along the margin of 

 the muscles of the organ. 



Eye large, pyriform, cornea hemispherical with ocellus con- 

 tiguous. 



Mandible is stout, with a broad cutting edge bearing five blunt 



