

GAMMARIDEA. 953 



In accepting of Leach's genus Melita, we do not include among its 

 characters, that upon which it was especially based by Leach, the 

 peculiarity of the hand, as this cannot be deemed a generic character- 

 istic, unless sustained by other differences. The caudal stylets afford 

 a much more important distinction. In this peculiarity, they are near 

 the genus Mcera, of Leach, and would hardly be separated from that 

 group, unless we esteem the absence of an appendage to the superior 

 antennae a generic distinction. The close similarity of the Gammarus 

 Dugedi, Edwards, to the Melitae throws some doubt on this point. 

 Still, for the present, we follow the usual method, and keep them dis- 

 tinct. Leach's species is described as having no such antennary appen- 

 dage, and we observed none on specimens of the species below, two of 

 which were figured, one a male, the other a female (if not a different 

 species) ; we have not the specimens for verification. The one sap- 

 posed to be a female, has the hand of Melita, that is, the finger closes 

 upon the lateral surface of the hand ; in the other, the hand had the 

 ordinary form, the finger being articulated with the apex, and closing 

 against the inferior margin. 



Melita tenuicornis. 



Maris : — Epimerce latiusculce. Antennae tenues; lmce dimidio corporis 

 longiores, bad paido breviore quam flagellum, articulo secundo valde 

 longiore, flagello terete, setis verticillatis, tenellis, articulos longitudine 

 parce superantibus ; 2do3 parce breviores, bad longiore quam flagellum 

 et longiore quam basis lmarum, articulis tertio quartoque suboBquis. 

 Manus prima parvula, obovata, margine hirsuta, digito minuto sub 

 apice affixo. Manus secunda oblonga, subelliptica, dorso rectiuscula, 

 infra dense hirsuta, palmd non excavatd, digito vnajusculo. Pedes 

 tertii quartique breves; sex postici subcequi, quinto parce minore, setis 

 brevibus. 



Feminae? — Setce antennarum bene divaricatae,. Manus Ida mediocris, 

 elongato-obovata, apice parce obliqua, digito brevi, in manus super- 

 ficiem lateralem claudente. Styli caudales 2di breves, postici simplices, 

 elongati, ramo subcylindrico, setis brevibus ornato. 



Male: — Epimerals rather broad. Antennae slender; superior pair 

 longer than half the body, base a little shorter than the flagellum, 



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