1921 J Schmitt: The Marine Decapod Crustacea of California 57 

 Spirontocaris lagunae sp. nov. 



Plate 12, figures 10 and 11 



Fig. 35. Spirontocaris lagunae, 5, mandible, much enlarged. 



Description. — Carapace about one-half as long as abdomen, exclusive of telson; 

 surface with small, scattered tufts of setae. Rostrum very small, reduced to a 

 mere spiniform tooth; supraorbital spine well developed, prominent, reaching 

 beyond the frontal margin of the carapace by about half the length of the eye- 

 stalk; behind the rostrum the carapace is more or less carinated, carina bearing 

 three teeth on anterior half of carapace, and fading out toward posterior margin; 

 of these teeth the median is much the largest, being about twice the size of the 

 other two, which are.subequal; posterior tooth at about the middle of the carapace; 

 anterolateral margin with subocular, antennal and branchiostegal spines. An- 

 tennular peduncle reaching forward about half the length of the antennal scale, 

 flagella attaining its extremity; antennal peduncle about as long as or slightly 

 longer than antennular peduncle. Mandible with incisor process and palp of two 

 segments. Third pair of maxillipeds exceeding the antennal peduncle but falling 

 short of the tip of the scale. Carpus of second pair of legs with seven segments. 

 Propodi of ambulatory legs spinulous below, dactyls with five corneous spines, 

 increasing in size to the last or terminal one; terminal spine and the one next 

 adjacent subequal, making the dactyl appear biunguiculate. 



First three abdominal segments laterally rounded; epimera of fourth somewhat, 

 and fifth pronouncedly drawn out into a backward pointing, acute, spine-tipped 

 process, armed on the posterior margin with a second spine a little distance above 

 the first; postero-ventral angle of sixth segment prolonged into a strong, stout 

 spine, above which, on the posterior margin, there is a much shorter, weaker one; 

 on the ventral surface of this segment there is a blunt, conical tubercle, at about 

 the anterior fourth of the median line; dorsal surface of telson with three pairs 

 of spinules. 



Dimensions. — Type (Cat. No. 52711, U. S. N. M.), ovigerous female: length 

 about 20 mm. 



Color. — Type, "kelp color" (Hilton). The label on two other specimens also 

 collected by Prof. W. A. Hilton reads: "Body light, legs darker, red and 

 black on appendages. ' ' 



Type Locality. — Known only from two ovigerous females and one male speci- 

 men dredged at Laguna Beach, California, by Prof. W. A. Hilton. Of these 

 the male and one female were taken August 27, 1917, in 12 to 15 fathoms. 



