73 



Genus Munida, Leach. 



The two species occurring in Irish waters may be separated 

 as follows : — 



Cornea of eyes surrounded by circlet of hairs, 

 some at least of which extend far out on the 

 pigmented surface ; the sternal plates are 

 thickly covered by scale-like tubercles or 

 ridges, which are bordered anteriorly with 

 short setae, . . . . . . . . M. bamffica. 



Circlet of hair at base of cornea absent 

 or quite rudimentary ; sternal plates smooth 

 or with at most a very few setiferous ridges, 



M. tenuimana, 



Munida bamffica (Pennant). 



PI. XI, figs. 13-14. 



Munida Rondeletii, Bell, 1853. 



Munida rugosa, G. O. Sars, 1882. 



Munida Rondeletii, G. O. Sars, 1882. 



Munida hamfflca {ex parte), Milne-Edwards and Bouvier, 



1894 (a). 

 Munida bamffica {ex parte), Mihie-Edwards and Bouvier, 



1899. 

 Munida bamffica {ex parte), Milne-Edwards and Bouvier, 



1900. 

 Munida bamffica, Appellof, 1906. 

 Munida rugosa, Appellof, 1906. 

 Munida bamffvca, Hansen, 1908. 



A great deal of confusion exists with regard to this and the 

 following species. Some writers have looked upon M. bamffica, 

 M. rugosa, and M. tenuimana as constituting three separate 

 species, others as two, and others again as a single species. 



Bell (1853) changed the name of the present species to M. 

 Rondeletii on quite insufficient grounds, and this name should 

 not be retained at all. Sars, however, uses it (1882) in giving 

 three species of the genus Munida as occurring in Norwegian 

 waters, M. Rondeletii, Bell, M. rugosa, Fabr., and M. tenuimana, 

 Sars. He separates these mainly by the size of the eyes, and the 

 presence or absence of a circlet of hairs at the base of the cornea, 

 and also by the spines on the fourth (in Sar's description the 

 third) abdominal segment. Milne-Edwards and Bouvier, after 

 examining the specimens taken by the Hirondelle, came to the 

 conclusion that there is a single very variable species containing 

 several varieties, and they adhere to this opinion after seeing 

 the specimens taken by the Travailleur and Talisman. Appellof, 

 on the other hand, maintains with Sars that there are three 

 distinct species, and gives a list of characters by which they may 



