242 Capt. A. C. MacGilclirist on Decapod Crustacea 



forwards and are easily visible to the naked eye. The palm, 

 and especially the finders, have numerous long hairs. Ou 

 the upper niaruiii of the iree finger ther^ is generally a 

 spinule, best developed on the larger hand and in the male. 

 A ridge, wiiich is spinnlose, runs along the outer margin of 

 the broad lower border of the palm and fixed finger. The 

 stouter hand presents a hiatus when the fingers are closed; 

 into this space there projects from the basal end of the pre- 

 hensile edge of the free finger a broad compressed tooth. 

 The fixed finger is finely serrated in its distal two thirds, on 

 the far side of a fair-sized conical tooth. In the smaller 

 hand there is no hiatus ; the fingers are curved inwards and 

 excavated on their inner surface; the prehensile edge of the 

 fixed finger is finely serrated. At the base of the fixed 

 finger, at the distal end of the outer surface of the palm, a 

 conical spine, simple or multicuspid, projects forwards. 



In the female the larger hand is sometimes arrested in 

 its development ; for instance, in one specimen the large 

 tooth on the free finger is in evidence, yet there is no hiatus, 

 or, as in another specimen, not even tiiis tooth is developed, 

 and the larger hand exactly resembles the smaller in shape 

 and form. 



The lower borders of the ischium and merus of the chelipcds 

 are spinose, and 1-3 small low spinules are sometimes visible 

 on the upper border of the merus at its distal end. 



The first to fourth pairs of ambulatory legs are slender ; 

 the first pair are shorter than the second and third pairs, 

 smooth and minutely chelate. The second and third pairs 

 are about equal in length ; their pro[)odites are compressed 

 and have along their posterior borders a row of small tufts 

 of settle, which at first sight ap))car like fine spinules. The 

 fourth ])air of legs are about the same leui;th as the first 

 pair. Tlie dactyli of the second, third, and fourth pairs of 

 legs are short and subspathulate, and their distal edge is 

 finely serrated, the anterior tooth being pi'oduced as a long 

 curved hook. 



The eggs are round, large (about TO mm. in diameter), and 

 few in number, about a dozen on the average. 



At Sta. 310, Bay of Bengal, 9G0 fathoms, about a dozen 

 specimens were trawled ; of these five were females, four of 

 Mhieh Avere egg-laden. An average-sized specimen gave the 

 following measurements : — 



mm. 



Length of carapace and rostrum 8 



„ abdomen 13 



,, chelipeds 18 



,, hand "••"> 



