318 COLLECTIOKS FROM MELANESIA. 



long joints, and is tipped with a penoU of hairs. The inferior an- 

 tennae slightly exceed in length the head and first five segments of 

 the hody ; the basal peduncular joint is very short, the second is 

 slightly longer than the third joint. The first legs (gnathopoda) 

 are very slender and feeble; the merus short, unarmed; the carpus, 

 like the propus, convexly arcuated posteriorly and fringed with 

 hairs ; dactyl rather less than half the length of the propus. The 

 second legs have the smaU and slender merus armed with a posterior 

 spine ; the carpus very short, transverse, and equaEing the proximal 

 end of the propus or palm in width ; the palms, in three specimens 

 examined, are large, similar, and subequal, longer than broad, 

 rounded at base, very slightly broader at the distal extremity ; the 

 distal margin, against which the strong arcuate dactyl closes, has a 

 wide shallow notch above the postero- distal angle of the palm, and 

 abdve this three or four very obscure indications of teeth ; the 

 infero-distal angle is not defined by a tooth or spine. The third and 

 fourth legs are very slender, with the dactyli about as long as the 

 preceding joints ; the three posterior legs are robust, with the basus- 

 joints posteriorly serrated ; the fourth to sixth joints margined with 

 long hairs ; the merus-joints widening to the distal margin, which is 

 prolonged into an anterior and posterior spine, the posterior spine 

 being very large ; dactyli less than half the length of the preceding 

 joints. The fourth and fifth pairs of uropoda have the slender rami 

 margined with short stiff hairs ; the sixth pair have the rami sub- 

 foliaceous, rather narrow-ovate and not greatly elongated. Colour 

 (in spirit) light brownish pink. Length (vdthout antennae) a little 

 over 4 lines (9 millim.). 



Two specimens are in the collection from Albany Island, 3-4 fms., 

 and two from Port Denison, 4 fms. (No. 122). 



In the dorsally bispinose postabdominal segments this species 

 resembles Megamcera diemenensis, Haswell, from Tasmania, but differs 

 from this and all of the other Australian species of Mcera and M.eg<v- 

 maera described by that author (as it appears) in the form of the 

 palms of the second legs, not to speak of other characters. If our 

 specimens should prove to be distinct from Megamcera suensis, 

 which is only known to me by Mr. Haswell's very short diagnosis, 

 I would propose to designate them M. haswelli. 



Mr. Thomson* has recently described a species, Megamcera fascicu- 

 lala, from Dunedin Harbour and Christohurch, New Zealand, which 

 is distinguished from both this and the following species by the 

 non-emarginate unarmed palms of the first and second legs, the first 

 pair being " quite transverse," &c. 



8. Megamcera thomsoni. (Plate XXXIV. fig. B.) 



This species is allied to the foregoing ; but the body is somewhat 

 slenderer ; the posterior and dorsal margins of the thoracic and 

 postabdominal segments are all of them entire, without spines or 



» Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hiet. ser. 5, vi. p. 5, pi. i. fig. 5 (1880). 



