178 Carcinological Fauna of India. 



their base in all positions. The antennae are visible, dorsally, from the 

 end of the basal joint of the peduncle, which joint is long, slender, cylin- 

 drical and spiny. 



The external maxillipeds are large, hairy, and almost pediform, 

 owing to the narrowness of the merus and the coarseness of the palp. 



The trunk-legs are hairy and spiny, the hairs on the 2nd and 3rd 

 pairs being remarkably long, stiff, and closely and evenly set. The arm, 

 wrist, and hand of the chelipeds — but especially the arm — are acutely 

 spiny, as are also the edges of the meropodites of the legs, — the spina- 

 ture of the front edge of the meropodites of the 2nd and 3rd pairs being 

 particularly prominent. The fifth pair of legs are sub-chelate, the pro- 

 podite having its proximal end strongly dilated to receive the folded-back 

 dactylus : the apposed edge of the dactylus is minutely, that of the pro- 

 podite sharply and conspicuously, spinate. 



Length of carapace 14 millim. Breadth of carapace 9 millim. 

 Greatest span (between extended 2nd pair of trunk-legs) 67 millim. 



Loo. Off Trincomalee 28 fms. Females only. 



Echinoplax, Miers. 



Echinoplax, Miers, " Challenger" Brachyura, p. 31. 



Carapace sub-pyriform, longer than broad, and covered with very 

 numerous closely-set spines and spinules : orbital margin spinose : spines 

 of rostrum acute, divergent from their bases, and bearing several acces- 

 sory spinules. Post-abdomen seven- join ted. Basal antenna! joint slen- 

 der, spinuliferous, and in contact with the front at the distal extremity : 

 flagellum visible from above at the sides of the rostrum. Maxillipeds 

 with the merus narrower than the ischium, and the palp coarse ; merus 

 truncated and not notched at the distal extremity, the antero-lateral 

 angle not produced. Legs spinuliferous. Chelipeds in the female [as 

 in the male] slender and feeble, with the palms not dilated. Ambula- 

 tory legs considerably elongated, with the penultimate joint not dilated ; 

 the dactyli nearly straight. 



Key to the Indian Species of Echinoplax. 



Carapace with the regions well defined : rostrum in the adult con- 

 siderably less than half the length of the carapace : — 



1. Carapace and abdominal terga closely covered 



with pungent acicular spines of equal &ize...Fi. pungens. 



2. Carapace and abdominal terga finely granular, 



with a few definitely placed spines of conspicu- 

 ous size ... ... ... E. rubida. 



24 



