670 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.xx. 



resented in New South Wales by an allied species, Astaeopsis nobilis 

 (Dana), through which we pass to the great Murray Eiver crayfish, 

 Astaeopsis spinifera (Heller). 



ASTACOPSIS SPINIFERA (Heller). 



Cancer serratus Shaw, Zoology of New Holland, pi. vm, 1794. (Nee Cancer 



serratus Forskal, 1775. ) 

 Potamobius serratus White, Proc. Zool. Soc. Loudon, XVIII, p. 95, pi. xv, 1850. 

 Astacokles spinifer Heller, Reise der Novara, Zool. Th., II, Pt. 3, Crust., p. 102, 



pi. ix, 1865. 

 Asiacus armatus von Martens, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., 3d ser., XVII, p. 359, 1866. 

 Astaeo'ides serratus McCoy, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., 3d ser., XX, p. 189, 1867; Pro- 



dromus of the Zoology of Victoria, Decade II, pi. xv, 1878. 

 Astacus serratus VON Martens, Monatsber. Akad. Wissensch. Berlin, 1868, p. 615. 

 Australian crayfish Huxley, The Crayfish, p. 307, fig. 76, 1880. 

 Astaeopsis serratus Haswell, Cat. Australian Stalk- and Sessile-eyed Crust., 



p. 174, 1882. 

 Astaeopsis spinifer Bate, Rep. Challenger Crust. Macrura, p. 195, pi. xxviii, 



1888. 



Habitat. — Australia, in Murray Eiver, the Murruinbidgee and tribu- 

 taries, the Paramatta Eiver at Sydney (Bate), Eichmond Eiver (White), 

 Brisbane Water (White), and at Mount Wilson (Haswell). 



List of specimens examined: Australia, Doctor F. Miiller, one male 

 (Coll. Mus. Comp. Zool.) ; Melbourne, Doctor E. Miiller, one female ovig. 

 (Coll. Mus. Comp. Zool.); Murray Biver,.one female ovig. (Coll. Mus. 

 Comp. Zool.); Murrumbidgee Eiver, one male (Coll. Mus. Comp. Zool.), 

 and Moreton Bay, one (Coll. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila.). 



The largest specimen in the Museum of Comparative Zoology (an 

 egg-bearing female) is 12| inches (310 mm. ) long. Von Martens records 

 a specimen 13 inches (330 mm.) in length, while according to Stebbing 

 a length of 20 inches (507 mm.) is sometimes attained. The eggs 

 measure 4 by 3 mm. 



According to McCoy the Murray lobster is brought to the Melbourne 

 market from the Murray Eiver in considerable numbers. In living- 

 specimens the anterior legs, the middle of the back, and the apices of the 

 spines and tubercles are rich, creamy white or ivory color ; the ground 

 color of the other legs, sides of the carapace, and the abdomen pale prus 

 sian blue of varying shades of intensity in different individuals, or some- 

 times mottled with dull olive green. The semicorneous, flexible edges 

 of the tail fin are brownish. Some specimens are olive green where the 

 blue appears in others. 



According to Haswell, "specimens from Mount Wilson differ from 

 those from the Murrumbidgee in having the apical spine of the rostrum 

 very short, the tubercles of the carapace blunt, and the tubercles of the 

 abdomen small, the inner row being altogether rudimentary; the color 

 of this variety is deep red, with bluish shades on the sides of the 

 carapace and legs, as in Shaw's figure." 



