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The Atoll of Funafuti, Ellice group : its zoology, botany, ethnology and general structure based on collections made by Charles Hedley of the Australian Museum, Sydney, N.S.W.

Tribe Catometopa

Tribe Catometopa.

Cardisoma hirtipes, Dana,

Cardisoma hirtipes, Dana, Crust. U.S. Explor. Exped., i,, p. 376, pi. xxiv., fig. 2.

Thirteen specimens. Native name " Keibea."

Ocypoda ceratophthalma, Pallas.

Ocypoda ceratophtiialma (Pallas), Miers, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (5), x., p. 379, pl. xvii., fig. 1. Six specimens—four adult males and two immature females.

Gelasimus tetragonon, Herbst.

Gelasimus tetragonon (Herbst.), M. Edw., Hist. Nat. Crust., ii., p. 52; Ann. Sci. Nat. (3), xviii., p. 147, pi. iii., fig. 9. Two males and one female.

The granulation of the merus joints of the ambulatory legs differs considerably in the two sexes. In the male the lower edges of the merus joints are finely granular, the space between and also the posterior lateral surface is punctate and very dis-tantly granulosa In the female the inferior edges of the last two pairs of legs are almost denticulate, the posterior surface and the proximal half of the lower are very closely granulate, on the upper posterior surface the granules are transversely seriate.

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Metopograpsus messor, Forsk.

Metopograpsus messor (Forsk.), M. Edw., Ann. Sci. Nat. (3), xix., p. 165. Three small males.

Grapsus maculatus, Gatesby.

Grapsus maculatus (Catesby), M. Edw., Ann. Sci. Nat. (3), xx., p. 167, pl. vi., fig. 1.

Four adult females.

One of the specimens has both the distal extremities of the merus joints of the last pair of legs denticulate. Yery common amongst the rocks about high-tide mark on the outer reef, but never observed in the calmer waters of the lagoon.

Geograpsus crinipes, Dana.

Geograpsus crinipes, Dana, Crust. U.S. Explor. Exped., i, p. 341, pl, xxi., fig. 6.

Two adult females.

The bases of the second and third ambulatory legs are furnished with fringes of hairs, as in Ocypoda, but they are longer and much finer than those usually found in members of that genus. Mr. 0. Hedley informs me that the specimens occurred in association with Cenobita and Cardisoma, at a distance from the sea, among broken coral blocks shaded by palms and other vegetation. This appears to be a highly interesting instance of adaptation to terrestrial conditions, not only as to breathing by means of the hair-clothed apertures between the bases of the second and third pairs of legs, but also in colour which is a dirty yellowish-white, and seems well suited to harmonize with the tint of the coral fragments amongst which it lives. The left chelipede is slightly the larger, the fingers when closed have a large gap at the base, the fingers of the smaller hand almost meet throughout when closed.

Leiolophus planissimus, Herbst.

Leiolophus planissimus (Herbst.), Miers, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (5), i., p. 153.

Two specimens—one male and one female.

This species occurred under stones in company with Petrolisthes dentatus, at low water mark.