Carcinological Fauna of India. 163 



15. Matuta miersii, Hendei\son. 



? Matuta peronii, Guerin Meneville, Icon. Regne Animal, pi. i. fig. 1 (nee Leach). 

 ?? Matuta lunaris, Leach, Zool. Miscell. III. p. 13, pi. 127, figs. 3-5. 

 ? Matuta lunaris, Milne-Edwards, Hist. Nat. Crust. II, 114 (nee Rumph, nee 

 Herbsfc). 



Matuta miersii, Henderson, Madras Jonrn. Lit. Sci. 1886-87, p. 66, figs. 1-4, and 

 Trans. Linn. Soc. Zool. (2) V. 1893, p. 396. 



Carapace granular upon the eminences that support the tubercles, 

 and towards the lateral epibranchial spines. All six tubercles of the 

 carapace almost always distinct, both in the young and adult. 



The antero-lateral borders are crenulate, the last three crenula- 

 tions forming three large blunt teeth. The posterior and postero-lateral 

 borders form a continuous, beaded, strongly-elevated ridge, which runs 

 about half way along the edge of the lateral epibranchial spine and hag 

 in its course no trace of a tubercle or eminence. The length of the 

 lateral spine is always, even in the young, less — often much less — than 

 one-fourth the breadth of the carapace. 



The front is wider than the orbit : the rostrum is distinctly bilobod. 

 Hand with the upper-border trilobed, — the lobes being almost 

 always equal and acute, and with the lower border dentate, in both 

 sexes and at all ages, as far as the base of the immobile finger. Below 

 the crest, on the upper aspect of the hand, are two obliquely longitud- 

 inal, regular, unbroken rows of close-set teeth. Below these the hand 

 is traversed longitudinally, as far as the finger-cleft, by a row of 5 teeth, 

 the second of which (counting from the proximal end) is enlarged and 

 acute. The surface of the hand below this ridge, as well as the surface 

 of the immobile finger, is roughened, and is traversed longitudinally, 

 at least as far as the middle of the finger, by a row of molariform 

 tubercles, which row is sometimes incompletely double ; but none of 

 the tubercles are acute. 



The characteristic sculpture of the hand is the same in the young 

 and adult, in both sexes. 



The carpus of the penultimate pair of legs is full, not compressed, 

 and shows more or less distinct traces of a second dorsal carina. 



Colour of carapace in spirit : olive yellow with red dots which are 

 arranged in broadish vermicular lines and rings. 



This is the smallest of all the species of Matuta : the largest male 

 in the collection of the Indian Museum has a carapace-breadth of only 

 29 millim., and the largest ovigerous female a carapace-breadth of only 

 20 millim., although there is a single female — non-ovigerous — as large 

 as the largest male. 



It can be at once distinguished from M. banksii — which it most 

 nearly resembles — by the complete absence of a tubercle on the postero- 



16S 



