Report on the zoological collections made in the Indo-Pacific Ocean ...

CKITSTA.CEA. 197West Australia (Rayner, H.M.S. Herald ' '), and from Raffles Bay(^3Ii(S. Paris).Its occurrence at Port Essington is mentioned by Mr. Haswell.16. Schizoplirys aspera {M.-Ediv.).A nearly adult female is iu the collection from Thursday Island,3-4 fms. (No. 175).Professor Alphonse Milne-Edwards * has united, I believe rightly,under the designation S. aspera several so-called " species " describedby various authors, and I may refer to his memoir for informationon the geographical distribution of this very variable species.Nevertheless, it may be found useful to distinguish two or threevarieties under the different specific names formerly adopted, characterizedby the armature of the carapace, rostrum, and chelipedes.The specimen from Thursday Island is referred to the typicalS. aspera, M.-Edwards (although in it the tooth on the middle ofthe lower orbital margin is obsolete). To the typical form (withwhich S. serratus, White, and S. spiniger, White, may bo consideredidentical) are also referred specimens in the Museum collection fromthe lied Sea (?), Mauritius {Lady F. Cole), Madagascar {Rev. DeansCowan), Ceylon {Dr. W. Ondaatje), and Philippine Islands {Cuming),and perhaps a very fine adult male from Japan (purchased).To the variety spinifrons, A. M.-Edwards, characterized by possessingan accessory spintile on each rostral spine, belong specimensfrom Torres Straits {J. B. Jukes), Lizard Island {J. B. Jukes), andFiji Islands, Ngau, Ovalau {H.M.S. Herald '').I may add that there are in the British-Museum collection specimensof the very distinct species S. dama (Herbst) from SharkBay and King George's Sound, West Australia {H.M.S. Herald '').This species is not mentioned in Mr. Haswell's recently publishedCatalogue.Kossmann has recently t proposed a very different classificationof the species of this genus, which he regards as a subgenus ofMithrax. He proposes (unnecessarily, as I believe) a new specificdesignation, M. triangularis, for the typical species generally designatedS. aspera (M.-Edwards).17. Pseudomicippa ? varians.Pseudomicippe ? varians, Miers, Ann. ^ Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 6, iv.p. 12, pi. iv. fig. 8 (1879).In Dr. Coppinger's first collection a female with ova, from PortDenison, 4 fms. (No. Ill), is referable to this species ; in the secondcollection is an adult mule and female from Thursday Island, 3-5* Nouv. Archiv. Mus. Hist. Natiirelle, viii. p. 231, pi. x. fig. 1 (1872).t 'Zool. Ergeb. einer Eeise im Kiisteugeb. des rothen Meeres,' (i.) p. U(1877).