178 A. Alcock — Carrinological Fauna of India. [No. 2, 



their base in all positions. The antenna are visible, dorsally, from the 

 end of the basal joint of the peduncle, which joint is long, slender, cylin- 

 drical and spiny. 



The external maxillipeds are large, hairy, and almost pediform, 

 owing to the narrowness of the merus and the coarseness of the palp. 



The trunk-legs are hairy and spiny, the hairs on the 2nd and 3rd 

 pairs being remarkably long, stiff, aud closely and evenly set. The arm, 

 wrist, and hand of the chelipeds — but especially the arm — are acutely 

 spiny, as are also the edges of the meropodites of the legs, — the spina- 

 ture of the front edge of the meropodites of the 2nd and 3rd pairs being 

 particularly prominent. The fifth pair of legs are sub-chelate, the pro- 

 podite having its proximal end strongly dilated to receive the folded-back 

 dactylus : the apposed edge of the dactylus is minutely, that of the pro- 

 podite sharply and conspicuously, spinate. 



Length of carapace 14 millim. Breadth of carapace 9 millim. 

 Greatest span (between extended 2nd pair of trunk-legs) 67 millim. 



Loc. Off Trincomalee 28 fms. Females only. 



Echinoplax, Miers. 



Echinoplax, Miers, " Challenger " Brachyura, p. 31. 



Carapace sub-pyriform, longer than broad, and covered with very 

 numerous closely-set spines and s pinnies : orbital margin spinose : spines 

 of rostrum acute, divergent from their bases, and bearing several acces- 

 sory spiuules. Post-abdomen seven-jointed. Basal antennal joint slen- 

 der, spinuliferous, and in contact with the front at the distal extremity : 

 flagellum visible from above at the sides of the rostrum. Maxillipeds 

 with the merus narrower than the ischium, and the palp coarse ; merus 

 truncated and not notched at the distal extremity, the antero-lateral 

 angle not produced. Legs spinuliferous. Chelipeds in the female [as 

 in the male] slender and feeble, with the palms not dilated. Ambula- 

 tory legs considerably elongated, with the penultimate joint not dilated ; 

 the dactyli nearly straight. 



Key to the Indian Species of Echinoplax. 



Carapace with the regions well defined : rostrum in the adult con- 

 siderably less than half the length of the carapace : — 



1. Carapace and abdominal terga closely covered 



with pungent acicnlar spines of equal size...E. pungens. 



2. Carapace and abdominal terga finely granular, 



with a few definitely placed spines of conspicu- 

 ous size ... ... ... E. rubida. 



