Art. XXXI.—Notice of New Crustaceans.

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 13, 1880, Page 236

Art. XXXI.—Notice of New Crustaceans. By T. W. Kirk, Assistant in the Colonial Museum. [Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 11th February, 1881.] Halimus rubiginosus. The Colonial Museum has for some years past possessed a specimen of Halimus bearing the name “Halimus rubiginosus, Hutton, MS.” In 1877 Dr. Hector submitted a drawing of this specimen to Mr. Miers of the British Museum, who replied, “It is evidently closely allied to H. hectori, Miers, the tubercles occupying the same positions, but being in some places replaced by spines, also the rostral spines are longer and more acute; these differences may be due to age or sex.” Having had the opportunity of examining a series of seven specimens, both male and female, I feel convinced that the differences are not “due to age or sex,” and therefore have but little hesitation in distinguishing it from H. hectori, Miers, and adopting the name so long ago applied. Description:—Rostral spines long, acute and depressed. Anterior legs moderate, armed with acute spines, hand smooth. A single row of very stout hairs arranged alternately, one long and one short, along both margins of the second and third pairs of legs. A few scattered hairs of the same character on the fourth and fifth pairs of legs. Hab. Cape Campbell. Wellington, Napier. Gelasimus thomsoni.—Fighting Crab. Two males and one female of this singular and pugnacious-looking crab, were brought to me some time ago by one of the local fishermen.

The carapace is smooth, convex, broader in front than behind, anterior margin sinuate, with a small depressed rostrum, grooved along the middle. Anterior-lateral angles produced into a point. Ophthalmic peduncles reaching to the angles of the carapace; the grooves which protect them have the margins finely crenated. As in all the members of the genus, the right hand is very large, being nearly twice as long as the greatest width of the carapace, or just four times the length of the ophthalmic peduncle. External surface of hand and wrist coarsely granulate; fingers two-thirds total length of hand. External face of immobile finger with a groove running the whole length. The fingers, when closed, leave a considerable interspace; the inner margin of each finger furnished with very coarse granules. Fingers meeting at the tips for one-fourth of their length. Abdomen of male and female seven-jointed. Hab. Wellington. Mysis meinertzhageni. Carapace of moderate length, very slender, rostrum short and obtuse. Middle plate of tail short, not more than half the length of the laterals, broad and entire, apex obtuse, margins serrated. Lateral plates narrow, lanceolate, margins furnished with very long hairs. Hab. Waimarama.