138 



Transactions of the Royal Canadian Institute 



Spirontocaris fabricii (Kroyer). PI. IV, fig. lo. 



Colour. — Spotted over a whitish ground, the spots being a very deep 

 bright red. There is one exception to this, namely on the basis and 

 coxa of the third to fifth pereiopods where the colour is purple. An area 

 of very fine red dots on either side of the posterior dorsal carapace spines 

 and mixed with these larger spots. Larger scattered spots ventrally and 

 also posteriorly on the cephalothorax. Small dots just posterior to the 

 orbit. Anterior end of rostrum spotted. Also antennae and an tennules — 

 the antennal flagellum with five red bands near its end and the edge of 

 each antennal joint with a faint red line. Abdominal segments with 

 scattered spots and on the third segment an area with small dots postero- 

 ventrally. Basal joint of the third maxillipede entirely red, penultimate 

 segment with a few dots, and the terminal segment with two equidistant 

 red rings. Merus of first pereiopod with one red ring, and of the re- 

 maining pereiopods with two ; propodus of pereiopods three to five with 

 one ring. Protopodite of gonopod with one band of red, and of the 

 remaining pleopods with four spots. 



Variations. — An examination of one hundred and forty-eight indi- 

 viduals did not reveal the presence of an epipodite on the second pereio- 

 pod in any case. The first pereiopod always had an epipodite. The 

 following table gives the variations in the number of spines on the various 

 parts. The figures indicate numbers of individuals. 



No. spines 



Dorsal carapace 



Dorsal rostrum 



Ventral rostrum 



Lateral telson 



Merus third pereiopod . 

 Merus fourth pereiopod 

 Merus fifth pereiopod . . 



In all cases but one there were six terminal spines on the telson, in 

 this one case there were nine. 



Dimensions. — The males vary in length from 36 to 19 mm., the females 

 from 53 to 22 mm. 



Distribution. — New Brunswick; Joe's point, St. Croix river: Head 

 Harbour, Campobello island: Passamaquoddy bay, 'Prince' Sta. 4: Bay 

 of Fundy, 'Prince' Sta. 5. Newfoundland; Bay of Islands, C.G.S. '33' 

 Stations 55 and 56. Maine; Eastport. 



