CRUSTACEA. ^o;{ 



type of their description is in the collection of the British Museum, 

 and is of very small size (length lines, 12^ millim.) ; surface of the 

 carapace nearly smooth, with the regious little prominent and but 

 slightly granulated ; a spine on the gastric and cardiac regions and 

 a somewhat obscure ridge on the branchial regions; teeth of the 

 antero-lateral margins nearly confluent, postero-lateral spines with 

 scarcely any traces of lateral teeth &c. Very similar characters are 

 exhibited by the small specimen from Port Molle (No. 93). In the 

 smaller male from Thursday Island (No. 177) and in two specimens 

 from the Australian seas, the largest of which measures about 

 10 lines (21 millim.), and which were dredged by Mr. Macgillivray 

 during the voyage of II.M.S. ' Rattlesnake,' in 7 fms. between Percy 

 Island and the mainland, in lat. 21° 50' S., long. 150° 20' E., there 

 is a considerable approach to the larger specimens from Thursday 

 Island : in all the spines of the gastric and branchial regions are 

 nearly obsolete ; but in two specimens the carapace is nearly smooth, 

 in the others it is granulated nearly as in the large specimen from 

 Dr. Coppinger's collection, the spines of the postero-lateral angles 

 are less prominent and less distinctly laciniated than in that example, 

 though bearing distinct traces of lateral teeth. 



I have entered thus fully into the distinctions observable between 

 these specimens, because of the great degree of variability that exists 

 in many species of Parthenopidas ; no one, I think, comparing two 

 specimens at opposite ends of the series would regard them as be- 

 longing to one and the same species. 



29. Cryptopodia fornicata (Fabr.). 



Port Curtis, 11 fms. (No. 87), a female, first collection ; Thurs- 

 day Island (No. 175), second collection, a young male. Specimens 

 are in the British-Museum collection of this common species from the 

 Indian Ocean (General tfardwicke) ; Borneo (from the India- Museum 

 collection); Philippine Islands, Mindoro (Cuming); Japan (Jam- 

 rack) ; Lizard Island (J. Macgillivray); and Moreton Bay ( Warwick). 

 Additional Australian localities mentioned by Mr. Haswell are Brook 

 Island, Cape Grenville, and Port Denison. 



It was collected in the Chinese seas during the voyage of H.M.S. 

 • Samarang.' 



A very small male from Thursday Island (No. 1G5) has the cara- 

 pace and under surface of the chelipedes smooth, the gastric de- 

 pression shallow, and scarcely any trace of the oblique ridges on 

 the branchial regions usually characteristic of C. fornicata. 



30. Cryptopodia spatulifrons, Miers. 



An adult male was received with Dr. Coppinger's second collec- 

 tion from Thursday Island, 3-4 fms. (No. 175), and a smaller male 

 from Prince of Wales Channel, 7 fms. (No. 169). 



The larger example has the carapace more distinctly and coarsely 

 pitted than the typical specimen in the Museum collection from 



