70 



General Distribution. — The range is very much the same as 

 that of G. intermedia. Norway (G. O. Sars, Loven), Kattegat 

 (Meinert), Skagerrak (Stephensen), British and French coasts 

 (Bell, Norman, Bonnier), Mediterranean and Adriatic (Heller), 

 Azores and Cape Verde (Barrois). 



Irish Distribution. — Common all round the coast, but not 

 occurring in such large numbers as G. intermedia. 



Vertical Distribution. — Commonest from tide-marks to about 

 3-4 fathoms, but occasionally it is found at depths of about 

 40-50 fathoms. The species migrates shorewards in spring, 

 being found in large numbers under stones between tide- 

 marks. 



Galathea nexa, Embleton. 



Galathea nexa, Embleton, Proc. Berwickshire Nat. Field 



Club, 18—. 

 Galathea nexa, Bell, 1853. 

 Galathea dispersa, Bate, 1859. 

 Galathea nexa, Kinahan, 1861. 

 Galathea dispersa, Kinahan, 1861. 

 Galathea nexa, Henderson, 1886. 

 Galathea dispersa, Henderson, 1886. 

 Galathea nexa. Bonnier, 1888. 

 Galathea dispersa, Bonnier, 1888. 

 Galathea nexa, Milne-Edwards and Bouvier, 1899. 

 Galathea dispersa, Milne-Edwards and Bouvier, 1899. 

 Galathea dispersa, Milne-Edwards and Bouvier, 1900, 

 Galathea nexa, Appellof, 1906. 

 Galathea nexa, Hansen, 1908. 

 Galathea nexa, Kemp, 1910. 

 Galathea nexa. Craw shay, 1912. 

 Galathea dispersa, Crawshay, 1912. 



The majority of recent writers on the Galatheidae have united 

 G. nexa and G. dispersa as one species ; this is done by Appellof, 

 Hansen, Kemp, and others, while Milne-Edwards, Bouvier, and 

 Crawshay keep the two separate. The most detailed description 

 is that given by Bonnier (1888). The character on which he 

 chiefly relies for their separation is the number of spines on 

 the inner margin of the merus of the third maxillipedes. In 

 nexa there is a single large spine on the middle of the joint, 

 and in dispersa a large spine in the same position , followed by 

 a varying number of more distal and smaller spines, usually 

 three or four. Bonnier's figure does not show this correctly, 

 the drawing being out of proper perspective, so that the spines 

 appear to be at the distal end of the joint. Milne-Edwards 

 and Bouvier correct this (1899), and give a list of distinguishing 

 characters, most of which are of very little value. 



The specimens taken by the Helga all approach more or less 

 closely to the dispersa type. One hundred and eighty -eight 



