226 On a Terrestrial Isopod from New Zealand. 
into a very perfect ball, like the species of Armadillo, but, to 
judge from the dried specimen, there is considerable flexibility 
in the body-segments. 
The head is short and is somewhat sunk into the broad 
first thoracic segment. The latter is somewhat broader than 
the succeeding segments when the body is flattened out, but 
when naturally arched it appears nearly twice as broad, owing 
to its flanges standing out horizontally, while the others are 
placed more vertically to their respective segments. Down 
each side of the median line of the back is a row of erect 
conical or somewhat curved spines, two on each segment. 
The last pair on the posterior thoracic segment are large and 
obtuse, and are produced backwards. On each side of these 
spines are two rows of somewhat acute elongated curved 
plates or caring, one on each segment, while outside of them, 
but within the flange-like epimera, are two or three rows of 
tubercles. On the head are two median spines, outside of which 
two nearly square plates project forward; below the outer 
angles of these are placed the compound eyes. The abdo- 
men also bears numerous conical processes, produced back~ 
wards, which, when viewed from above, appear like spines. 
The margins of the head, thoracic segments, and posterior 
abdominal segments are produced into flange-like processes ; 
that of the first thoracic segment is very large and broad, 
while the succeeding ones increase in width from the second to 
the seventh. 
The first pair of antenne are very minute and are 2- (?3-) 
jointed ; the second pair are wanting. Owing to the defec- 
tive condition of the specimen the mouth-parts could not be 
made out. ‘The legs are very feebly developed and, so far as 
I could make out, appear to want the dactylos. The last seg- 
ment of the abdomen terminates in a nearly square extremity, 
and the last pair of abdominal appendages barely reach to the 
end of this. These appendages have the outer branch some- 
what broadened at one third of their distance from the base, 
and the outer side produced into a long process rounded at the 
end. ‘The inner branch, which is much shorter, is articulated 
in the deep sinus of the outer joint ; it is tipped by a minute 
jointed seta. The opercular plates on the underside of the 
abdomen are somewhat acutely triangular. 
I know of no terrestrial Isopod so remarkably sculptured as 
this specimen, nor is it easy to assign any function to this 
singular ornamentation. For progression among dead leaves 
and other deébris of a forest its projecting points and plates 
would appear to be ill-adapted. 
