195 



The rudimentary branchiae of somite VIII. consist each of a tapering plate 

 one edge of which is minutely and distantly plumose. 



Key to the species of the genus Iconaxiopsis. 



I. The rostrum reaches the end of the 2nd joint of the antennular 

 peduncle : in one of the hands the fixed finger has, at the basal 

 end of its cutting-edge, two enlarged teeth separated by a notch ... I. laccadivensis. 

 II. The rostrum hardly reaches the end of the basal joint of the antennu- 

 lar peduncle : in neither hand are there any conspicuously enlarged 

 teeth on the fixed finger ... ... ... ... J. andamanensis. 



113. Iconaxiopsis laccadivensis, n. sp. 



Eiconaxius kermadeci var. laccadivensis, Alcock and Anderson, Journ. As. Soc. Bengal, Vol. LXIII. pt. 2, 1894, 

 p. 162. 



The carapace (rostrum included) measured in the middle line, is hardly as 

 long as the first 5 abdominal somites combined, and is smooth, compressed, and 

 dorsally tumid. The rostrum, which is triaugular and depressed and has its 

 edges microscopically serrulate, reaches to the end of the second joint of the 

 antennular peduncle. 



Abdomen smooth : pleura 2-4 bluntly pointed : telson equal in length to 

 the oval caudal swimmerets, itself truncate oval, the edges of both telson and 

 swimmerets finely serrated. 



Eyes subsessile, very faintly pigmented. Upper antennular flagellum about 

 as long as the carapace without the rostrum. 



The spiniform antennal scale is not so long as the spiniform prolongation 

 of the 2nd joint of the antennal peduncle (" stylocerite "), the latter spine 

 reaching nearly to the end of the peduncle : both spines are smooth. 



The external maxillipeds reach beyond the antennal peduncle. 



The massive chelipeds of the 1st pair are about as long as the entire abdo- 

 men, more than half their bulk being hand : except for microscopic serration 

 of the inner border of the ischium and merus, a minute denticle on the lower 

 border of the carpus, a small tooth at the far end of the upper border of the 

 palm, and for a ridge along the lower border of the palm and fixed finger, they 

 are smooth : the fingers and lower border of the palm are slightly setose. In 

 one hand the cutting edge of the fixed finger carries, near the finger cleft, two 

 enlarged teeth separated by a characteristic notch. 



The thoracic legs 2-5 are slender, smooth, and about as long as the cara- 

 pace : all have the propodite long : the 2nd are minutely chelate, the 3rd-5th 

 end in a very short subspathulate dactylus. 



