CRUSTACEA NORTH PACIFIC KX IM.oRI .\G KXI'EDITIOX IO3 



are pale reddish. It is very common on the shores of Botany Bay 

 and Port Jackson, Austraha, hving on sandy beaches, in holes of 

 slight depth, generally much above low-water mark. It is called 

 "soldier crab" by the colonists. 



161. MYCTIRIS BREVIDACTYLUS Stimpson 

 Plate XIII, Fig. 4 



Myctiris hrevidactvliis Stimpson, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., x. p. 99 

 [45I, 1858. 



Carapax short, globular, nearly smooth. Breadth to length as 

 1 : 1.06. Branchial regions but little inflated, microscopicall}' gran- 

 ulated. On the posterior or depressed portion of the gastric region 

 there are two short, longitudinal depressed lines, parallel, one on 

 each side. There is a short, slender, blunt spine on each side near 

 the external angle of the orbit. Chelipeds nearly as in M. longicar- 

 pus, but stouter. Ambulatory feet also stouter than in the species 

 ju-st mentioned, with short and thick dactyli. The dactylus in the 

 posterior pair is curved upward near the extremity, and trigonal in 

 shape, with the angles ciliated. 



Color of the carapax whitish blue, deeper about the middle of the 

 back. Feet white, pale reddish near their bases. Dimensions of a 

 male : Length of carapax, 0.682 ; breadth. 0.639 hich. 



This species is easily distinguished from M. loiigicarpus, which it 

 much resembles in general appearance, by the shorter and thicker 

 terminal joints of the ambulatory feet. It may prove to be the 

 M. dcHexifrons of De Haan, but we can ni^where find a description 

 of this species. 



It is found in great numbers on low sand\-mud shores and flats in 

 the lower half of the littoral zone. It occurred to us at Hongkong 

 and among the Loo Choo Islands. 



162. MYCTIRIS PLATYCHELES Milne Edwards 



Pl.ATK XIII. Imc. 5 



Myctiris l^lalycliclcs Mii.n'K Kdwauds, Mclangt.'s Carcinologiqucs, p. 118. 



The deseriptioii of .Milne i'.dwards is as i(ill(»\\s: "Carapace cou- 

 verte de petits points granuleux. tres esi)aces et tres saillants. Tatles 

 courtcs et larges. — Port WT'stern." Tt is not inconsistent with the 

 characters of our crab, hut there are several prominent distinctive 

 characters nctt mentioned which render the ideutitication. ])ased 

 uyioTi so short a diagnosis, somewhat tuicertain. 



