Clare Island Survey — Acarinida. 39 83 



legs ; it is protected by two minute semicircular plates with thickened outer 

 margins ; the first of these carries a pair of stout bristles (fig. 266). 



Capitulum transverse ; maxillary plate with three pairs of long bristles ; 

 close to the base is a series of raised semicircular ridges, armed with minute 

 denticles running obliquely from the middle line of the plate; maxillary 

 lobes of the usual triangular shape ; on the inner side of these there are two 

 long bristle-like processes, and between these is a pair of long maxillary 

 processes which are spinous at their extremities. The epistome (fig. 26r) ends 

 in a stout central spine, with a few lateral teeth, the side margins also carry 

 strong spines. Chelicerae (fig. 2&d), fingers comparatively straight, fixed chela 

 with three teeth, one peg-like, free chela with two or three, more or less, 

 obsolete teeth and a minute pilus dentarius. Palps stout and of average 

 length ; ventral face of first segment, with a distal prominence, carrying a 

 stout spine, and near the base a bristle, both minutely pectinated ; second 

 segment, three dorsal hairs, a long inner spine, and a ventral bristle ; third 

 segment, three or four dorsal hairs, and two stout inner bristles ; fourth 

 segment, six or seven dorsal hairs, and there is a distal row of long ventral 

 hairs ; fifth segment, numerous bristles, a double claw-like spine. 



Legs comparatively long ; last three pairs incrassate, armed with simple 

 and modified hairs ; these consist of adpressed hairs, broad spines, with 

 toothed extremities, and stout peg-like teeth, the last two kinds often arising 

 from distinct peduncles (fig. 26e-h). 



The ends of the tarsi (except first pair) carry three pairs of long pectinated 

 hairs. The peduncle of the ambulacrum (fig. 26ij is broad, and opens out, 

 dorsally, into a pair of sharply pointed flaps. On the ventral extremity are 

 two lanceolate bristles which project beyond the two upper membranous 

 lobes ; the latter vary inter se in breadth and in the depth of the median 

 incission. The ambulacra of the first pair of legs resemble those of the other 

 pairs, except that they are reduced in size, especially the peduncle, and the 

 pectinated tarsal hairs are absent. 



Female (fig. 26^).— Larger than the male; length, 1280^ to 1332^; 

 breadth 768,u. Shape and sculpturing as in male ; there are three separate 

 dorsal shields. The large central shield covers most of the dorsum ; it is 

 separated from the narrow anterior marginal plate by a fissure of thiner chitin 

 which runs obliquely on each side of the body to a point just beyond the 

 stigma. Immediately behind the large dorsal shield is a small irescentic 

 plate, on the posterior margin of which are three pairs of pectinated bristles 

 springing from tubercles. Ventral surface, sternal area (fig. 26k), with two 

 paired plates, slightly separated, in the middle line of the body, each 

 narrowing into a bluntly pointed extremity which does not reach the hinder 



