220 Carcinological Fauna of India. 



The rostral spines, which are considerably more than half the 

 carapace in length, are widely divergent — the distance between their 

 tips being more than three-quarters of their length : the accessory 

 spine is situated not far in front of the middle. 



The prominent supra-ocular eave has a strong sharp spine, and 

 there is an even stronger and sharper spine at the antero-external angle 

 of the basal antennal joint, as well as a prominent tooth near the 

 middle of the outer border of this joint. 



The chelipeds are granular : in the male they are equal in length 

 to the carapace plus four-fifths of the rostrum, and, though slender, are 

 considerably stouter than the other legs, especially as to the palm, 

 which is more than twice the length of the fingers — the fingers being 

 but little curved and therefore but little separated when closed: the 

 meropodite has a strong sharp spine at the distal end of its upper border. 



The ambulatory legs are slender : the meropodites of all but the 

 last pair are armed as to the distal end of the upper border with a 

 spine, which is of conspicuous size in the case of the first pair. The 

 first pair are markedly the longest, being nearly twice the length 

 of the carapace measured with the long rostrum, and have the dactylus 

 extremely long — nearly equal in length to the propodite. 



A single male specimen occurs in the collection, having been 

 dredged off the Andamans in 36 fathoms. 



Naxia cerastes, Ortmann. 



Naxia cerastes, Ortmann, in Semon, Zool. Forschungreisen Austral, und Malay. 

 Archipel., Crust., p. 43, taf. iii. fig. 4. 



This species appears to be very similar to Naxia taurus, with which 

 it may, perhaps, even be identical. It differs from Naxia taurus, com- 

 paring specimens of the same size and sex, in the following unimportant 

 particulars: — (1) the rostral spines are less divergent; (2) the cara- 

 pace, in addition to the granules and tubercles, is armed with several 

 large spines, of which three on either branchial region and one on the 

 intestinal region are of conspicuous size, while several in the middle 

 line on the gastric and cardiac regions are hardly smaller. 



In the collection are a perfect male and female from the Andamans. 



Naxia hystrix, Miers. 





Naxia hystrix, Miers, ' Challenger ' Brachyura, p. 60, pi. vi. fig. 4. 

 Naxia hystrix, R. I. Pocock, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Yol. V. 1890, p. 79. 

 Naxia hystrix, Ortmann, Zool. Forsch. in Austral, und Malay. Archipel., Crust., 

 43. 



66 



