22 CRUSTACEA FROM PORT CURTIS DISTRICT, QUEENSLAND, 



two joints and terminates near the outer proximal margin of the 

 ischium. The palp is articulated almost in the centre of the 

 upper margin of the merus. 



The abdomen in both sexes is seven-jointed. The last joint in 

 the male is distinctly truncate. 



In the male the right cheliped is somewhat larger than the 

 left. The merus is sharply trigonous, each of the angles being 

 minutely crenulate. The outer surface carries a number of 

 scattered tubercles and the upper distal margin is subspinulous. 

 The carpus is strongly carinate above. 



The palm also carries a strong carina both above and below. 

 This is continued to the ends of both the mobile and immobile 

 fingers, and is minutely crenulate along its whole length. The 

 fingers, which are spoon-excavate, leave a wide gape between 

 them when closed, but this is entirely hidden by a tuft of strong 

 felted hairs on both sides. On removal of the hair the upper 

 finger is seen to be finely toothed along its distal two-thirds, 

 while the lower is similarly toothed to its base. On the outer 

 surface of the mobile finger there is also a distinct row of 

 tubercles. 



In the female the hands are subequal, long and slender, and 

 without the tufts of hair characteristic of the male. 



The ambulatory legs are long and much flattened. They 

 carry on the upper edge of the merus a row of granules from 

 which a dense but scattered pubescence arises, and on the outer 

 surface of the merus of the first three pairs there are a number 

 of scattered round tubercles. 



A large series was taken on the mud flats at the mouth of 

 Auckland Creek, Port Curtis. 



The nearest ally of our species appears to be M. intermedins* 

 de Man, from the Mergui Archipelago, from which it differs in 

 the presence of the dense matted hairs on the hands, from the 

 nature of the piliferous ridges on the outer maxilliped, and in 

 other features. 



*de Man, Journ. Linn. Soc. London, Zool. 1888, p.166, pl.ix. figs.7-9. 



