48 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS 



Genus EUXAXTHUS Dana 



66. EUXANTHUS MELISSA^ (Herbst) Stimpson 



Plate VI, Fig. 2 



Cancer melissa Herbst, Naturg. der Krabben und Krebse, iii, 7, pi. le,. 



fig. I. 

 Atergatis melissa White, Cat. Brit. Mns., 1847, p. 14. 

 Eu.vanthus melissa Stimpson, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., x, p. 2i3 [31].- 



1858. 



The only specimen of this species found by us is a male, the 

 dimensions of which are: Length of carapax, 1.61 ; breadth. 2.54 

 inches. It was taken at Caspar Island, in the straits of the same 

 name, by Mr. L. M. Squires, of the steamer ''John Hancock." 



Buxanthiis nitidus of Dana (loc. cit., i, 174. pi. viii, fig. 9') is not 

 improbably the young of this species. The characters in which the 

 female specimen upon which that species was founded differs from 

 the type are only those which might well be the result of diff'erences: 

 of age or sex. 



Genus POLYCREAIXUS Gerstcxcker 



This genus was recently established by GerstJecker (Archiv fur 

 Naturgeschichte, xxii, 120) for the reception of the Cancer ochtodcs~ 

 of Herbst,. a species which was referred to Panopeus by ^lilne- 

 Edwards and to Galene by Adams and White. Its generic distinct- 

 ness is, however, sufficiently apparent, and we had named and de- 

 scribed it in our notes before seeing the paper in the Archiv. The 

 description then drawn up may without disadvantage be presented 

 here, as it details some characters not mentioned by Gerstsecker. 



Carapax subhexagonal, the lateral angles truncated and bidentate,, 

 the teeth being equal. Front rather narrow, considerably produced, 

 emarginate at the middle. Antennae with the basal article joined to- 

 a process from the frontal margin, as in Xantho, the movable portiom 

 placed in the hiatus of the orbit. Antennulae oblique. Orbit with 

 three closed fissures at the exterior margin, two above and one just- 

 beneath the external angle. The orbits are directed obliquely up- 

 ward and not forward, so that the whole inferior margin, as well 

 as the sharp inner angle, may be seen from above when the eyes'^ 

 are retracted. Epistome of considerable length ; as long as in most 

 PartheiwpidcE- Meros of hectognathopoda broader than long, trun- 



^ Euxanihopsis exsculpta (Herbst). 



