50 FRESHWATER AND LAND CRAYFISHES OF AUSTRALIA 
Habitat. — Tasmania: Near Lake Margaret Power Station, Mt. Lyell 
(R. Murray, 1935) ; Strahan; Queenstown. 
Type (female) in Berlin Museum. 
Twenty-two specimens examined. 
In his key to the subgenera of Astacus, Erichson (1864, 
p. 88) defined Astacus ( Astacus ) as having the outer antennae 
inserted at the side of the inner ; the telson and uropods quite 
calcareous ; the bases of the fifth pair of legs with a gill ; and 
the appendages of the first and second abdominal somites of 
the males being modified as styles. 
He included here one Australian species A. (A.) tasmani- 
cus, described from one female. 
A series of 10 specimens of land crayfishes received from 
Mr. R. M. Murray, of Mt. Lyell, Tasmania, near the type 
locality of A. (A.) tasmanicus, agree in measurements, sculp- 
ture and shape with tasmanicus , but differ in three important 
characters : 
(1) The first abdominal somite of the male is devoid of 
appendages, as is the case in all species of Parasta- 
cidae. 
(2) The outer antennae are inserted under the inner. 
This character was noticed by von Martens (1868), 
who said (p. 619) that on comparing Erichson ’s 
specimens he could find no difference in the placing 
of the antennae in tasmanicus and in the two species 
of Engaeus ( fossa r and cunicularius), which have the 
outer antennae inserted under the inner. He also 
noticed that in the European forms with which 
tasmanicus was included, the telson has a complete 
transverse suture, while tasmanicus has transverse 
sutures only on the outer rami of the uropods, as in 
Engaeus. 
(3) No gills on the fifth pair of legs. 
With the other characters corrected the last character 
remains the only one to prevent the identification of the 
species. 
Erichson defined Astacus ( Cherax ) as having the outer 
antennae inserted at the side of the inner; the fifth pair of 
legs without gills ; the telson and uropods half membranous ; 
and the first abdominal somite of the male without append- 
ages, and those of the second somite formed the same as the 
following. 
He described one species, A. ( G.) preissii, from south West- 
ern Australia. The type is lost ; von Martens was unable to 
