202 

 117. Gebicula exigua, n. sp. Plate II. fig. 4. 



Carapace (rostrum included), measured in the middle line, hardly as long as 

 the first 5 abdominal somites : it is cut up by the linex thalassinicse and cervical 

 suture into six completely isolated areas, namely, a gastric and cardiaco-intestinal 

 in the middle line, and a hepatic and branchial on either side. 



The rostrum, which is broadly triangular, reaches to the end of the 4th 

 joint of the antennal peduncle : it has a large spine on either side of its base, 

 behind which spine a line of tiny spinules runs towards the cervical suture. 

 Similar tiny spinules bound the lateral portion of the cervical suture. 



The anterior border of the carapace, between the basal spine of the rostrum 

 and the cervical suture, is armed with 3 or 4 spines, and there is a (hepatic) 

 spine where the cervical suture cuts the linea thalassinica. 



The 1st abdominal tergum is the shortest and narrowest, and the 6th is the 

 longest and next narrowest : the 2nd, 3rd and 4th do not differ much in breadth, 

 but the 2nd is as long as the 3rd and 4th combined : the 3rd, 4th and 5th are of 

 about equal length. The exopodite of the caudal swimmeret is larger and 

 longer than the endopodite, which, again, is longer than the subquadrate telson. 



The eyes are pale brown. The antennular and antennal peduncles are of 

 nearly equal length, but the former is far the more slender : the antennular 

 flagella are hardly longer than their peduncle and are not nearly half the length 

 of the carapace ; the outer is very much thicker than the inner. The 1st, 3rd 

 and 4th joints of the antennal peduncle have each a spine on the lower border. 



The slender external maxillipeds reach to the end of the antennal peduncle. 



The 1st pair of thoracic legs are as long as the combined carapace and first 

 2 abdominal terga : all their joints, except the basis and dactylus, are spinose : 

 the propodite, which is subcylindrical, is about twice as long as the carpus, and 

 about two-thirds as long as the merus : the dactylus, which is slender and 

 pointed, is about three-quarters as long as the propodite against which it can be 

 flexed at right angles, though in this position only its proximal end is in contact 

 with the propodite. 



The 2nd and 3rd pair of legs are a little longer than the carapace : in both, 

 there are some spines along the posterior border of the merus and a spine at the 

 far end of the anterior border of the same joint, and 1 or 2 spines on both 

 borders of the carpus. 



The 4th and 5th pair of legs are shorter than the carapace, and decidedly 

 more slender than the 2nd and 3rd pair ; the 4th has 2 or 3 spinules on the 

 posterior border of the merus, the 5th ends in a little claw-like dactylus which 

 is turned forwards and forms with the produced opposite angle of the propodite 

 an almost perfect chela. 



